eat.live.escape - The Bloom Edition

ISSUE 5. 2021 Ingredients For A Beautiful Life!

NEW SEASON Recipes

Hello Spring!

The

bloom edition $12.95 AUS (inc. GST)

Best of Beauty 2021

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How To Care

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On The Flower Trail

travel . food . fashion . beauty . wellness . home

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Flower Farm - Country Dahlias, Winchelsea, Victoria In March and April of each year you can visit Country Dahlias in Victoria and witness their magnificent range of dahlias in bloom. Specalist dahlia grower, Jenny Parish will share her knowledge on how to grow these blooms and you can place an order for bulbs to be posted out to you once they are available. countrydahlias.com.au Image: Jo O’Keefe

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' Spring opens our hearts and allows us to dream of fresh starts, renewal and hope after the long , cold winter ‘

What Im Reading

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connect: Instagram @eat.live.escape | Twitter @eatliveescape | facebook.com/eatliveescape

EDITOR’S LET TER

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s I write this I am looking out at the window at a wild storm bringing in strong wind and rain. With spring just about upon us it couldn’t feel further away than it does right now, however, one thing we can be certain of is that the weather will change and we will soon be marvelling at the beauty of the new season.

Pretty blossoms, lush green grass, fresh produce and the desire to get up, fling open the windows and spring clean the house top to bottom. It is a beautiful time of year that brings a sense of renewal and optimism, something that is much needed after the latest rounds of lockdowns.

full of green goodness and flavours, explore exotic dream destinations and discover places a little closer to home.

We hope that this season is full of beautiful food and produce, of roadtrips and spring adventures and most importantly of beautiful scent-filled blooms that fill your home and your heart with joy.

Enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.

Mia Cowling Founder and Editor-in-Chief

what i’m loving now

Of course, the onset of spring brings the magic of flowers coming into full bloom - cherry blossom, tulips, freesia, daffodils, bluebells, iris - there is so much colour and beauty in this special season!

This issue is packed full of prettiness, we head on the flower trail to find some of the most spectacular flower festivals in the country and across the world (pg 98), we bring you delicious new recipes

My Beauty Pick

S/W/F Shirred Pocket Mini Dress $289 swfboutique.com

In Full Bloom pg 12

ELK the Label Petal Necklace $65 elkthelabel.com

Paula’s Choice Probiotic Nutrient Moisturiser $64 paulaschoice.com.au

A Fresh Take pg 33

Rainbow Bright pg 119

Fashion pg 130

Dream Destination pg 60

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A Fresh Start

C O NTENTS

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#loveele

We love seeing how you are enjoying reading ele Magazine! Tag us @eat.live.escape or #loveele

ON THE C OVER

Our Spring cover was created by the talented Rebecca from @aclotheshorse, it captures the promise of the new season and the simple joy that beautiful blooms can bring.

Cover Location: Northern Ireland Front Cover Image: Rebecca Stice Back Cover Image: Jo O’Keefe

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Food & Drink News

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Travel News

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Healthy Start

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Dream Destinations Istoria Island

A Fresh Start

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Five Ways With Spring Greens

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Every Night of the Week

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Weekend Away Pumphouse Point

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On The Flower Trail

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Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

fashion

beauty

lifestyle

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What’s New

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The Beauty Edit

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How to Care

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Style

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How to: Statement Eye

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Spring Lunch at Home

100

Best of Beauty 2021

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Spotlight - LVLY

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The Spring Garden

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Monet’s Garden

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ESCAPE On The Flower Trail

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Credits Editor-in-Chief: Mia Cowling Travel: Mia Cowling Food: Ella Mitford Home & Interiors Editor: Katie Skinner Special Contribution: Julie Skinner Our Contributors Jo O’Keefe, Melinda Healy, Kathy Mexted (Editor Photo), Madeleine O’Connor Claudia Siron Social

ON SALE NOW

Instagram: @eat.live.escape Facebook: facebook.com/eatliveescape Twitter: @eatliveescape Web eatliveescape.com Subscribe eatliveescape.com.subscribe Advertise Want to advertise with us?

Email: hello@eatliveescape.com eat.live.escape is proudly published by MJC Digital Pty Ltd PO Box 91 Woodend Victoria 3442 Australia mjcpublishing.com ABN 19 630 569 989 Views and opinions expressed by contributors and authors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

All rights reserved. eat.live.escape is committed to sustainable business practices and supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Issue 5, 2021 ISSN 2652 6638 Copyright eat.live.escape 2021

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ESCAPE On The Flower Trail

mee t & gree t Say hello to our featured contributors behind this issue.

CLAUDIA SIRON Lifestyle In Full Bloom pg 12

Sydney-sider Claudia Siron is a lifestyle writer and the Editor-in-Chief of digital women’s lifestyle magazine bubble. Her favourite hobbies include drinking high-calorie cocktails with girlfriends at Sunday brunch and bingereading Liane Moriarty’s books

MADELEINE O’CONNOR Make-up How To: Create A Statement Eye pg 98

Madeleine has been in the beauty industry for almost 10 years, she is a Melbourne based makeup artist with an obsession for all things beauty. She also has a passion for training and education and has been delighted to be able to share her knowledge through the ele YouTube channel.

Want to get in touch with one of the team? Email us at hello@eatliveescape.com

MELINDA HEALY Travel

On The Flower Trail pg 64

Mel is an Aussie-made global roamer with an unbridled passion for travel. More interested in passport stamps than possessions she has an inquisitive mind, adventurous spirit and a talent for storytelling. She is a keen photographer, loves searching out great coffee shops, and has her own company The Write Way To Travel.

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A Sweet S tart No Bake Chocolate Tart with Roses Enjoy this delicious and decadent, rich chocolate dessert that only has five ingredients and requires no baking at all.

Ingredients

Method

Tart Base 1 1/2 packets of Chocolate Digestive biscuits 125g butter, melted

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Tart Filling 400g good quality dark chocolate, broken up in to pieces 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream 1/4 cup butter Roses (to serve)

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Lightly grease a round tart tin.

In a food processor or blender, blend biscuits until a fine crumb is formed.

Add biscuit crumbs to a bowl and thoroughly mix through melted butter.

Press the biscuit crumbs in to the tart tin, spread evenly across the base and sides. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to set.

Heat cream and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until the mix is just simmering. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a minute or two. In a heat proof bowl pour cream over the chocolate pieces.

Stir chocolate and cream mix until it is fully mixed through and a rich, smooth chocolate has formed.

Pour chocolate mix in to the tart case and smooth to edges. Place in fridge for 3-4 hours until the tart is fully set.

Remove from fridge, decorate with fresh roses and a dollop of double cream or ice-cream. Enjoy!

Out & About Wakefield’s Bar & Wine Room is a charming new wine bar located in the neighbourhood suburb of Ainslie in Canberra. The bar has a focus on Australian wines, local produce and live entertainment from across the Capital. The bar marks the latest expansion to the local institution, Edgar’s which is already home to pub Edgar’s Inn, pizza bar Mama Dough and new elevated dining restaurant, The Inn. edgarsinn.com.au

Image: Megann Evans

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In Full

BLOOM

As American botanist Luther Burbank once said: “Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.”

This season, whether you’re in lockdown, working from home, or you’re able to socialise outside your residence, bring life and radiance into your home space with DIY floral arrangements. We spoke with five cutting-edge florists from Sydney and Melbourne to find out how.

WORDS Claudia Siron

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Flowers by Brett Matthew John

Flowers By Brett Matthew John Flowers by Brett Matthew John is a small team of young, fresh and creative floral artists, continually developing their craft to be at the forefront of concept floristry. Perhaps best known for their hyper-feminine, lush and contemporary designs, FBMJ is led by creative-powerhouse Brett Coles who brings his unique view on the art of flowers to the table.

What flowers are your favourites to work with this season?

Spring is an amazing time for florals! We love peonies, lilacs, magnolia flowers, snowball and jasmine.

What floral trends do you see happening this season?

Preserved and dried florals and foliages have had their moment; fresh florals are making a huge comeback this spring/summer. We’re currently seeing love for brighter, bolder tones with mixed textures.

What are your tips for creating a simple floral arrangement at home this spring? And what are your top tips for choosing flowers?

En masse is always the way to go if you are styling blooms at home. I recommend choosing florals and foliage inspired by the textures, colours and tones within your space. The amazing thing about fresh florals and foliage is a lifespan of five to seven days, so you have the luxury of exploring something different week-to-week, season-to-season. Experimenting with these elements can result in unexpected pairings, reinvigorating your space.

What are your top tips for making flowers last at home?

Always select something that suits the environment. For example, if you’re styling a room that is quite warm and sunny, hardier foliages can be effortlessly styled and displayed en masse. brett@flowersbybrettmatthewjohn.com @flowersbybrettmatthewjohn

Images: Flowers by Brett Matthew John

Image:Jo Mcgann

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Flowers Vasette, Melbourne Cherrie Miriklis founded Flowers Vasette in 1989, one of Melbourne’s best-loved floral destinations. Over the past thirty years, Cherrie and her large team of floral artists have shaped the industry and changed the way people think about the role of flowers in events, businesses, homes and everyday life. Flowers Vasette continues to set trends, selected by the likes of the National Gallery of Victoria and other prestigious institutions, corporate and private clients who require only the best floral installations for their extraordinary events.

Q: What are your tips for creating a simple floral arrangement at home this spring?

We adore one variety of seasonal flower en masse. Abundance is beautiful in it’s own simplicity and flowers en masse are the perfect way to create a simple arrangement at home.Tulips, tree peonies, anemones, ranunculus and dogwood are all fabulous spring varieties that look wonderful en masse.

Imagination is everything! Be inspired by the nature that surrounds you and think outside the square when it comes to choosing a vase.

Combining flowers with fresh herbs from your home garden creates a pretty fragrant arrangement and can be styled to suit all manner of vases and containers…from an eggcup to an urn.

What are your top tips for choosing flowers?

Choose what you love! Flowers are best enjoyed when in season as they will be fresh, readily available and reasonably priced. Choosing flower varieties that are in bud allows you to enjoy the transition of watching them bloom.

What are your top tips for making flowers last at home?

Always re-cut flower stems on a sharp angle as this opens up more surface area for stems to drink. flowersvasette.com.au @flowersvasette

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Eden + Bell, Sydney Eden + Bell, founded by Sophie Geisser, is a team of designers, florists, stylists and builders. “We are intuitive dreamers who create crazy beautiful flowers and styling for events and weddings.

We also have a flower shop in the heart of Surry Hills where we spend our days creating bespoke arrangements for the locals.”

What are your tips for creating a simple floral arrangement at home this season?

Flowers are essential as they bring warmth and joy to your home – especially during lockdowns. You can never go wrong with a big bunch of single variety blooms as they dont command too much attention but add such warmth to a space. Tulips are a favourite of ours. They dance so nicely in any vase. When we design, we always take the approach that nature knows best. This means our creations aren't too matchy-matchy, they are soft, flowy and asymmetrical.

When creating an arrangement, we love to cluster similar colours or varieties together. It can be as easy as grabbing one variety of flowers, staggering the stems so they are all different heights and then crossing them in front of another bunch of flowers that have also been staggered in height. We always just choose the flowers that bring us joy! I think you are a lot more inspired and able to create with ingredients you feel a connection to.

What are your favourite flowers in spring?

Oh, it's like trying to choose a favourite child! Anything in season really, we love using local farmers and buying blooms that were literally cut that day (fact: lot’s of flowers are actually imported) but if I had to choose a few I would say ranunculus (particularly the peach ones), local cymbidium orchids, and poppies.

Any floral trends you see happening over the next couple of months?

Colour! My favorite colour palette at the moment is lilac, bright red and blush. It doesn't sound great on paper but some of the most beautiful arrangements we have made have used this combination.

Be kind to them, trim their stems and change their water every few days. Make sure it’s just the stem in the water and not the greenery.

Keep them out of direct sunlight and tell them that you love them. edenandbell.com.au @edenandbell

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Ally Bell Floral, Sydney Ally Bell Floral is a boutique florist located on the Balmain Peninsula. “We offer unusual yet sophisticated florals from our bespoke bouquets to more intricate event designs. We also specialise in terrariums and have quite a large range of ontrend indoor and outdoor plants.

We offer all kinds of floristry for events and corporate designs along with our busy daily retail shop. We love what we do and are madly passionate about flowers and all things nature”. You can often find Ally pre-dawn at the Sydney flower markets handpicking the perfect seasonal flowers from the growers.

What are some suggestions you can put forward for when creating a bouquet at home?

My tips for creating a beautiful bouquet at home is to keep it simple: no more than three fresh elements and always use seasonal blooms and foliage. Treat yourself to a beautiful vase to display your wonderful creation. Also don’t be afraid to use clashing colours and unusual foliage for texture and interest. There are no rules in how you create your design, as long as it’s pleasing to your eye, you can’t go wrong!

What are some floral trends you see happening?

I’m feeling that the dried and preserved fad is finally coming to an end, or at least not as crazy popular as it has been this last year. You can’t beat fresh flowers and we’re so happy to be supplying them in full bloom again. Each time we go into lockdown in NSW our fresh flower sales go up as they truly are a wellbeing element and bring great joy.

What are your at-home care tips?

The simple secret to keeping your blooms alive and well is to clean your vase and change the water every two to three days and keep away from direct air-conditioning or heating. Bacteria in the water is the first thing that will make your flowers wilt prematurely. We use bleach to scrub out our vases in the shop to ensure all the nasty bacteria has been eliminated. allybell.com.au @allybellfloraldesign

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The Beautiful Bunch, Melbourne Jane Marx is the founder of The Beautiful Bunch, a next-day floral delivery service that supports young women from refugee backgrounds to bloom. A Melbourne-based social enterprise they offer paid training and support to young women who are experiencing barriers to employment, Jane explains “I love working with flowers and creating something beautiful every day, and I’m also a passionate advocate for the young women we work with to have better opportunities to develop the skills and social networks they need to find meaningful employment”.

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What’s your best advice for creating a floral arrangement at home this season?

The vase is so important! You need to choose something that is going to compliment your arrangement, something that supports it where needed, but also enables the flowers to ‘fall’ naturally too, so try not to make the arrangement conform to your vase – it should be the other way around. Basically, choose your vase first!

Also, give everything a bit of space. Play around with the dimensions until it feels right and don’t be afraid to leave more space around your larger blooms to make them a bit more of a focal point.

Which flowers are your favourites to work with during spring?

I’m really excited for the first of the David Austin roses, delphiniums, and sweet peas.

We have a very cottage garden aesthetic to all of our arrangements, so needless to say, spring is my absolute favourite!

What floral trends do you see happening this season?

We are getting a lot of requests for some lesser-known native varieties and there is a big focus on supporting local growers. thebeautifulbunch.com @the.beautifulbunch eat.live.escape

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Food News Healthy Start A Fresh Take 5 Ways With Spring Greens Every Night of the Week

Not Butter Chicken with brown basmati and pilaf by The Egg of the Universe - get the recipe pg 27

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food news

We round up the latest food and restaurant news from Australia and across the globe.

J

uly marked the opening of much anticipated SOCIETY, restaurateur Chris Lucas’ game-changing new restaurant with creative culinary partners Chef Martin Benn and Vicki Wild located at the prestigious landmark 80 Collins precinct in Melbourne, Australia.

Melbourne based architects Russell & George worked with the trio to create a sense of permanence and a deep connection to the city. They incorporated various aesthetics from art deco, mid-century, art nouveau and brutalism to create a new contemporary design language of luxury and timelessness.

With two restaurants: SOCIETY Dining Room and Lillian Terrace, as well as SOCIETY Lounge and various private dining spaces, the design blurs the transition between each location, giving a slight hint of what you are about to experience.

The intention is to create an enticing energy of wanting more with each area, offering a glimpse of the next space.

From the chandeliers to the chairs, every element was designed by Russell & George. SOCIETY is a glamourous new addition to the Melbourne dining scene. societyrestaurant.com @societyrestaurant

Image: Tom Blanchford

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LONDON CALLING Chef Gabriel Waterhouse’s eponymous East London dining destination The Water House Project, is putting down permanent roots this September, within a new home at 1 Corbridge Crescent.

The move will see Gabriel’s ‘social fine dining’ restaurant brought to a larger, contemporary space positioned close to Regent’s Canal.

First Press

The Water House Project has made its name for challenging the perceptions of fine dining, an experience akin to a dinner party rather than a typical restaurant dining room, delivering dishes and drinks that spark conversation amongst strangers, including between diners and chefs. The restaurant’s new location will provide space for a state-of-the-art borderless kitchen and a standalone reception area for guests to enjoy a drink before or after dinner. thewaterhouseproject.com @thewaterhouseproject Australia’s leading extra virgin olive oil producer, Cobram Estate, is celebrating its best harvest season to date in 2021. This year’s growing season is due to its perfect climate conditions; a wet winter followed by a moderate summer, which has meant that come harvest time, the trees at Cobram were super-heavy with fruit. More fruit means the olives ripen more slowly, they’re greener for longer and that extra greenness imparts the oil with more flavour. cobramestate.com.au @cobramestate

CAFFEINE HIT

Oliver’s Together

The first of its kind in Australia, the Espresso Club is an all-inclusive coffee subscription service that delivers a premium home espresso machine from De’Longhi and a monthly supply of Industry Beans coffee beans directly to your home; the membership also includes access to training and coffee machine servicing. From $27 a week. industrybeans.com

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Getting together and sharing a meal with loved ones has never felt so important.

Each chapter of Jamie Oliver’s Together features a meal, from seasonal feasts to curry nights, with a simple, achievable menu that can be mostly prepped ahead.

Jamie’s aim, whether following the full meal or picking individual recipes, is to keep you out of the kitchen to enjoy eating with your guests. Together takes the stress out of cooking by teaching you hacks to get organised, get ahead. Inspirational but practical, Together is about comfort, celebration, creating new memories and, above all, the sharing of mouthwatering food. jamieoliver.com

food & drink news QUEENSTOWN GIN Multi-award-winning distillery Broken Heart Spirits is launching Queenstown’s first ever boutique gin tasting room. Located in Arthurs Point, the Gin Garden will be centered around 12 award-winning, locally distilled Broken Heart spirits, a brand-new Oktoberfest-inspired lager and divine locally sourced, seasonal foods.

Broken Heart Spirits owner Joerg Henkenhaf hails from Germany and has lived in New Zealand for 20 years. He developed the concept for the Gin Garden with the aim of delivering a stunning location in which to showcase his range of spirits in a venue with a unique European flavour. brokenheartspirits.com @brokenheartspirits

KIWI TWIST

There’s a new white wine on the block about to bring the buzz back to your wine drinking.

Albariño has long been loved on the sunny shores of southern Europe, a signature in Spain and popular in Portugal, but this littleknown varietal is beginning to break ground downunder. Leftfield’s take on this vino underdog has a typically Kiwi twist and packs a promising punch. Available from liquor stores throughout Australia. leftfieldswines.com

SADDLE UP Boydell’s Wines and Australian artisanal leather goods company, Saddler & Co have collaborated to create a limited edition wine bag. It’s perfect for transporting wines stylishly from homes to picnics, barbecues and more. The wine bag is handcrafted using the finest Australian leather and made in regional NSW. A purchase will also include a bottle of your choice from Boydell’s. $150 boydells.com @boydells

beans at home

Messy Spoon, the Bondi-born health food production business with a passion for getting nourishing food is bringing Sydneysiders a brand new, wholesome product this lockdown, Better Beans. Made in small batches in Messy Spoon’s Surry Hills production kitchen each day, these jars of goodness are available in two flavours and are perfect topped on toasted sourdough or added to a baked potato. messyspoon.com @messyspoon

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cocktail hour Sheraton Grand Sydney’s Ms Viv Tini Inject a little sweetness into your spring with Sherton Grand’s Ms Viv Tini cocktail, lollypop optional!

Ingredients 60ml house infused vodka 30ml dry vermouth 5ml grenadine syrup Method 1.

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Fill a mixing glass with ice, pour all ingredients into the glass.

Stir well to incorporate all ingredients.

Strain into a Martini glass. Enjoy!

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Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale is a unique new gin, made with French blackcurrants and vanilla notes, inspired by Charles Tanqueray's travels to France in the 1840s.

Inspired by the French approach of living life to the fullest, the latest addition features the four botanicals of Tanqueray London Dry Gin perfectly balanced with juicy blackcurrants from France, warm vanilla and floral notes of black orchid. tanqueray.com @tanqueraygin Funky Monkey Blanc de Blanc Made from premium blend of Chardonnay, Semillon and Colombard grapes, this delicious drop of fizz will add a sparkle to any occasion. It features a vibrant nose of citrus and apple with a sweet fruit lift. Nicely bubbly on the palate with an effervescent drive providing a good mouthfeel. Nicely weighted sweet fruit and a cleansing acidic finish.

A perfect cork popper for those times when you want to celebrate without the addition of alcohol. craftzero.com,au

One of the world’s oldest Champagne houses and the official Champagne supplier to the British Royal Family, Maison Lanson, has announced the launch of their new Le Blanc de Blancs Champagne in Australia. Situated in Reims, the capital of Champagne, Maison Lanson was awarded a Royal Warrant and became the official Champagne for the Royal Family in 1900. In addition to it being the Queen’s Champagne of choice throughout her reign. $99.99 lanson.com @champagnelanson

Drink Me

Pretty gins, French Champagne fit for a queen and a refreshing local beer, there is no shortage of great tipples to keep your palate excited this Spring.

The Australian Distilling Co. Navy Gin has been beautifully distilled to be refined yet striking on the palate with an intensely bold flavour with dominant notes of woody spice and an earthy oak influence. To contrast its heat, pair it back with a cooling cucumber garnish and Mediterranean tonic. australiandistillingco.com.au

Named after the Sail & Anchor pub, the historic launch-pad of the Australian craft brewing scene in Fremantle, this bright and breezy golden ale is a tribute to its namesake. With a light golden colour, it has pleasant fruity aromas, a subtle bitterness and refreshing citrus flavours.

Deliciously sessionable, it’s best enjoyed by simply opening a bottle! bws.com.au @bws_australia

Medium red in colour with vibrant aromas of dark plums, cherry and hints of forest floor, Elephant in the Room Pinot Noir is fruitdriven with a core of red berry and cherry flavours highlighted by a spicy complexity. Bright acidity and fine tannins provide definition to the long finish. It is a great wine to accompany risotto, mushroom or duck dishes $15. fourthwavewine.com.au @fourthwavewine

*Editor's P ick* A Rosé that’s uniquely Tasmanian, this Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir Rosé is ruby blush in colour has us dreaming of summer!

Ultra-smooth and savoury on the palate with bright floral notes, hints of strawberries, watermelon and subtle spice. It pairs well with a wide range of seafood dishes, particularly sashimi. devilscorner.com.au

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Healthy Start

Integrated yoga studio and cafe studio, Egg of the Universe’s new cookbook is a joyful celebration of seasonal eating and wellbeing, embracing the philosophy of better living through nutritious wholefoods and mindful movement.

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Not-butter chicken with brown basmati pilaf (serves 6) Ingredients 1/2 cup (80 g) ghee or coconut oil 2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (use other cuts if you wish) 400 ml (14 fl oz) tomato passata (puréed tomatoes) 3 cardamom pods 200 ml (7 fl oz) coconut milk Roasted cashews (optional) and coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve Lime wedges, mango chutney and lime pickle, to serve Spice paste 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp ground fennel seeds ½ tsp ground coriander seeds ½ tsp fenugreek ½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste) ½ tspn ground black peppercorns 1/2 cup (100 g) raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours 1 onion, chopped 6 garlic cloves 5 cm (2 in) piece ginger, minced or finely grated 2 cm (¾ in) piece fresh turmeric, minced or finely grated

We created this version of the classic butter chicken as a way of exploring a lighter, dairy-free choice. We prefer to make the dish using ghee, but if you need to be strictly dairy-free, use coconut oil instead. Yes, this dish is different to the original but it’s still great, and even better after a day or two, so feel free to make it in advance. It also pays to start this recipe a day ahead to soak the cashews and the rice, if you like.

Pilaf 2¼ cups (450 g) brown basmati rice (ideally soaked in water for 4–8 hours) 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil 1 onion, thinly sliced ½ cup (75 g) small currants, soaked in water until plump, then drained Small bunch mint, leaves chopped Small bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves chopped Raita 2 cups (520 g) natural yoghurt 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, grated 1 teaspoon garam masala Juice of ½ lemon Method For spice paste, combine all ground spices in a small frying pan and dry-roast over low heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Drain cashews and place in a food processor with onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, ground spices and 2 teaspoons salt. Blend until you have a smooth paste, adding 50–100 ml (1¾–3½ fl oz) water to loosen, if necessary. Melt ghee in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and fry gently for 5 minutes until golden. Turn and fry for a further 2 minutes to seal, then remove from pan.

Add the spice paste, allowing it to sizzle and bubble for 1–2 minutes but not catch and burn. You want the paste to take on a little depth of colour here. Stir in tomato passata, cardamom pods and coconut milk, then bring back to a simmer. Return the chicken to pan, submerging it in the sauce. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer very gently for 25–30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened and darkened.

Meanwhile, for pilaf, bring a saucepan filled with plenty of water to the boil. Rinse rice well, then stir into water with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring back to a gentle simmer, stir rice to prevent it sticking, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain, return to pan and cover with a lid for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

While rice is cooking, heat ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelised, about 10–15 minutes. Once the rice is cooked and fluffed, stir onion through rice, along with currants and herbs.

For raita, mix all ingredients well in a bowl and season to taste.

Garnish rice with cashews and coriander and serve with curry, raita and lime wedges. We also like to serve this with mango chutney and lime pickle.

Sophie Hansen’s Chocolate, Hazelnut and Espresso Cake

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Heirloom spring carrots with almond-tahini purée and coconut dukkah (serves 4-6) If you can find good heirloom carrots then go for them, otherwise normal Dutch carrots or young carrots will do for this dish. This works well as a simple individual dish, but we prefer to present it in one large platter on a sharing table.

Ingredients Ingredients 2 bunches organic or baby heirloom carrots, scrubbed (skins left on if young) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 handfuls wild rocket (arugula) 2 handfuls radicchio leaves, larger leaves torn 2 handfuls snow peas (mange tout) 1 tablespoon Coconut dukkah Almond-tahini purée ¾ cup (200 g) tahini 3½ cups (350 g) almond meal 1½ teaspoons lemon juice 1 garlic clove Garlic-maple dressing ½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ garlic clove, crushed Method For the almond-tahini puree, combine all ingredients in a blender with 400 ml (14 fl oz) cold water and 1 teaspoon salt and blitz until smooth. Season to taste. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Spread carrots on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with ½ teaspoon salt and roast for 5–10 minutes until carrots take on a little colour but still have some firmness.

Meanwhile, wash and trim salad and snow peas. If snow peas are lovely, tender and young, simply slice them into thin batons that can easily be mixed through the salad (otherwise steam them briefly).

Dry salad leaves thoroughly and mix with the snow peas.

For garlic-maple dressing, whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Season with ½ teaspoon salt.

Remove carrots from oven and allow to cool a touch.

Spread almond-tahini puree on one side of a serving platter to form a bed for carrots, then arrange them on top. Dress salad with garlic-maple dressing, toss well, then transfer onto the platter beside the carrots. Sprinkle dukkah over the top to serve.

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Raw Caramel Slice (makes 30 bite-sized pieces) This has been one of the more popular sweets at the café since the beginning. We’ve played around with it over the years to get the balance of flavour right so it’s nicely rich, but not overly heavy on coconut oil as many raw desserts seem to be. This takes some time and effort so it’s well worth doing a large batch and freezing the extra in slices.

Ingredients 365 g (13 oz) coconut oil, plus extra for greasing 5 cups (750 g) raw cashews 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) date paste (or simply deseed and mash medjool dates) 100 g (3½ oz) tahini 400 ml (14 fl oz) brown rice syrup 100 ml (3½ fl oz) coconut milk 150 g (5½ fl oz) raw cacao powder Chia seeds, to serve Method Grease a 26 cm x 36 cm (10 ½ inch x 14 ¼ inch) slice tin and line with baking paper.

To make base, melt 65 g (2¼ oz) coconut oil over a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Pulse cashews in a food processor until coarsely chopped (be careful, too much and it can become a paste). Place 250 g (9 oz) date paste in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and pour 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water over the top, stirring to combine. Add melted coconut oil, chopped cashew and a generous pinch of salt, then beat gently to combine. Transfer to slice tin, pressing the layer flat with the back of a spoon. Place tin in freezer for base to set.

To make middle layer, melt 150 g (5½ oz) coconut oil in the heatproof bowl as before. Meanwhile, combine tahini and remaining 250 g (9 oz) date paste in stand mixer, then pour in melted coconut oil, mixing to combine. Add 1 cup (250 ml) brown rice syrup, followed by coconut milk. Mix well. Once base layer has cooled, remove from freezer and spread this middle layer on top, smoothing it with a knife. Return to freezer to firm up.

Melt remaining 150 g (5½ oz) coconut oil in a bowl as before.

Meanwhile, whisk raw cacao into 150 ml (5 fl oz) water in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in remaining 150 ml (5 fl oz) brown rice syrup, then melted coconut oil. Remove slice from freezer and spoon this final layer over the top, smoothing with a knife. Sprinkle with chia seeds and return to freezer to set, about 1 hour.

Once fully set, remove from freezer, gently tease whole slab from the tin and cut into squares or triangles.

About Sophie Sophie Hansen trained in print journalism at the University of Canberra and has over 20 years experience as a features writer. She has been blogging at local-lovely.com since 2013 and now teaches social media and content marketing to producers and small businesses via My Open Kitchen. With her first book with Murdoch Books, A Images and text from Egg Basket By The Door, Sophie continues of the Universe by Bryony to build her wonderful community of and Harry Lancaster, photography by Alan home cooks, brimming with friendship Benson. Murdoch Books and kindness.

RRP $49.99 local-lovely.com

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Spring Salmon Bowl Pg 38

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A Fresh Take

RECIPES, IMAGES & STYLING Jo O’Keefe

A

fter a long winter of slow cooked heavy stews, rich hot chocolate and hearty soups it is time to start to look for those fresher green flavours and something to add a bit of zing onto our plates.

The sun shines again, the days get longer and we start spring cleaning our houses, opening up doors, shaking off the dusty floor rugs and cleaning windows.

It makes sense to tidy up our eating by adding in more seasonal fresh greens and vegetables. I have created these recipes with a lighter fresher spring feel in mind but they’re still packed with loads of flavour to satisfy everyone.

Try our ‘Drink Your Greens’ smoothie to kickstart your morning and fill your spring table with fresh in-season produce like artichokes, asparagus, cucumber, edible flowers, asian green, peas and fennel.

Decorate your home with fresh spring flowers and set the table outside again. It is time to share some tasty meals with friends and family. Take a deep breath and appreciate that beautiful fresh spring air and promise of the new season.

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*ele Tip* Add a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries to your smoothie for an extra antioxidant hit.

Drink Your Greens Smoothie

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Drink Your Greens Smoothie (serves 2) Ingredients

I banana, chopped (*see tip below) 1/2 cucumber, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1/2 lemon squeezed One small piece of ginger, chopped 2 cups green spinach leaves 1 cup frozen mango or pineapple (or both) 1 1/2 cups of almond milk or coconut water

Method

Add all ingredients into a blender and whiz away until smooth. If your smoothie is too thick add a little extra coconut water or almond milk. Pour into your favourite glass and drink down that green zingy goodness!

*Jo’s Tip* Chop ripe bananans and freeze them, that way you always have bananas available for your smoothies.

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eat *ele Top Tip* If you prefer a savoury scone, swap the lemonade for soda water, addToasty in someToppers dried herbs Spring and top with grated cheese Create an easy but gorgeous board of toppers with a bright medley of garnishes and a stack of toasty breads for before baking. warmis something for every taste, just let your imagination take over! breakfast, brunch orServe lunch. There with butter.

Cream cheese, smoked salmon, fresh dill, capers and red onion

Avocado, bacon, egg and tomato relish

Avocado, asparagus and radish

Beetroot hummus, baby spinach, beetroot relish & crumbled feta Pumpkin puree, radish and mushroom.

Grainy mustard, ham and cucumber

Cream cheese, strawberries, coconut flakes and maple syrup drizzle

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Banana, brie cheese, honey and walnuts

*Jo’s Tip* Pimp up this salad by adding in some cold chopped chicken, crispy fried tofu cubes, prawns, or smoked almonds & toasted seeds.

Quinoa and Avocado Salad (serves 2)

A really fresh tasting and zingy salad that uses fresh rather than cooked broccolini.

Ingredients 2 cups cooked quinoa 1 avocado, peeled, destoned and chopped 1 bunch of parsley, chopped 1 small bunch of mint, chopped 1 bunch of broccolini, finely chopped Ingredients 1 cucumber chopped 2 spring onions 3 cups self-raising flour Dressing 1 cup thickened cream 1 tspofchopped ginger 1 cup lemonade 1 clove garlic Fresh lime or lemon squeezed 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Sea salt and pepper, to season

Method 1.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, mix through dressing and serve.

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Spring Salmon Bowl (makes 2 bowls) A fresh bowl of rice and salmon with healthy greens, what’s not to like? If you don’t like fish change it to chicken or tofu using the same marinade.

Ingredients Marinade 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 clove garlic chopped 1 tsp chopped ginger 1/2 lime squeezed Hot Mayo 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp hot sauce (sriracha) 1 tbsp honey 1/2 lime squeezed Bowl Ingredients 2 Salmon Fillets 2 cups cooked brown rice 1 cup green salad leaves or baby spinach 1 avocado, sliced 1/4 cup pickled ginger 1 cup cooked green beans or raw snow peas 2 finely chopped green spring onions 1 tbsp chopped almonds or toasted sesame seeds for topping Method 1.

2.

3.

Marinate salmon fillets briefly then place onto baking paper on an oven tray and bake for 1520 minutes.

Divide rice and salad ingredients (except for green onions) evenly amongst the two bowls.

Top with the cooked salmon, the mayonnaise and green onions.

A Note About Salmon Salmon is packed full of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and B vitamins making it a great inclusion in our diets. All salmon is not created equal however, where possible try to choose a wild salmon or, if that is difficult to come by, choose a farmed salmon that meets RSPCA approved standards.

Alternatively choose another fish that is wild caught using responsible and sustainable fishing practices.

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Rice Paper Noodle Rolls These are fun to make and practice makes perfect! It doesn’t matter if they’re rustic looking as they taste amazing dunked into that peanut sauce anytime of the day and there’s always the lazy option to skip the rice paper completely and just make it a noodle salad mixing in the peanut sauce and eating it up with chopsticks.

Ingredients Choose a protein Smoked salmon slices (500g) Sliced cooked chicken or duck breast Cooked peeled prawns (500g) Slices of tofu marinated and fried Filling I packet of rice or sweet potato noodles, cooked and mixed with 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce 2 teaspoons honey I clove chopped garlic I teaspoon chopped ginger Salt & pepper Thin julienned carrot Thin julienned cucumber Mint leaves & coriander Bean sprouts (optional) Peanut sauce 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 tbsp hoisin sauce 2 tsp soy or tamari sauce 1 chopped clove garlic 1 tsp hot sriracha sauce Mix all ingredients together until well combined.

Method 1.

Have your protein and vegetables ready to go. Fill a big bowl with boiling water and have a damp clean tea towel folded in your bench top.

2.

Dip one rice paper at a time into the hot water and briefly 10 secs, let it get wet but don’t leave it for too long as it will continue to cook, once you take it out it just needs to turn from white to clear.

3.

Lay the softened rice paper on to the tea towel and put down some mint and coriander leaves then your protein, noodles and vegetables layering up leaving a good few centimetres on the sides of the wrap. With firm pressure roll up as tight as you can, folding in the sides as you go.

4.

Store the rolls in a sealed container until ready to eat. Serve with Peanut Sauce. eat.live.escape

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5 WAYS WITH SPRING GREENS Fresh greens are one of the best (and healthiest!) things about spring, try these ideas to make the most of the new season’s produce.

Image: Anna Lis

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SMASH

Smash Smash avocado with blanched greens peas, olive oil, salt and pepper - a delicious topping for toasted sourdough bread and baked potatoes. Or toss through pasta and top with blistered tomatoes and shaved parmesan cheese.

STEAM

Steam fresh greens and top with miso and sesame dressing or serve a pile of steamed greens with fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and chilli alongside fish or spring lamb. Steamed green beans with chopped walnuts and feta drizzled with olive oil makes a delicious side dish that can be whipped up in no time.

BAKE

Tray bakes are one of the most simple weeknight dinner options. Pack them full of delicious healthy ingredients that the whole family will love. Layer a baking tray with asparagus, broccolini and chicken or salmon fillets, top with cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta, olive oil and bake in oven. Drizzle with lemon juice to serve.

BLITZ

Try substituting basil in traditional pesto for kale or rocket for a new take on an Italian pasta classic or blitz shelled broad beans with Greek yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice and serve on top of a whole baked sweet potato for an easy lunch or dinner idea.

CRUNCH

Add a healthy kick to your salad with crunchy raw greens - try grated broccoli, finely sliced broccolini stems and chopped Tuscan kale for an extra dose of green goodness.

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Super Greens Pie

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Every Night of the Week with Lucy Tweed Need some weeknight inspiration? Lucy Tweed is the creator of Every Night of the Week, an Instagram account full of recipes which are dictated by the weekdays, the weather, her children’s hunger, working full-time AND the desire to cook good food. She has now turned her beloved Instagram account into an entertaining and practical cookbook for everyday family-friendly food. It is uncomplicated, humorous, generous and delicious.

Super Greens Pie (Serves 8) An aggressive level of greens at the start of the week is a good way to dictate how the rest will play out.

Lucy’s Vinaigrette

Ingredients 1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves removed and torn, stalks chopped into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces 6 garlic cloves, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 teaspoons ghee (olive oil is fine) 1 bunch kale, chopped into 4 cm (1½ inch) pieces 250 g (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, drained sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh ricotta 2 eggs, lightly beaten (reserve 1 teaspoon for the egg wash) handful of dill, chopped handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped handful of mint leaves, chopped grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 250 g (9 oz) haloumi, grated 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 rectangular sheet (or 2 squares) good-quality shortcrust pastry 1 rectangular sheet (or 2 squares) good-quality puff pastry 1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds

Recipe makes a bit over 1½ cups (375 ml).

My grandmother would always say a salad should be tossed with conviction. This is conviction. ½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed (into big chunks you can fish out later) 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons sea salt ½ cup (50 g) grated parmesan 1 cup (250 ml) extra virgin olive oil (EVO oil) Optional ingredients fresh herbs, chilli, other mustards and anchovies

Optional ingredients Lemon wedges and, while it defies tradition, this pie coexists very well with sriracha and kewpie mayonnaise This is an absolute beauty. It occasionally flares up virally in a good way on my Insta feed, because once you learn it you’ll make it often. You’ll adapt it and make it your own. It will become a staple.

Place lemon juice, garlic, dijon, sugar, salt and parmesan in a jar or bowl.

Leave for 30 minutes.

Add the EVO oil and shake or whisk like crazy.

Method Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the chard stalks, garlic and onion in the ghee for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat to high, add the chard and kale leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and season, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, beaten egg (except the teaspoon you’ve remembered to keep back), dill, parsley, mint, lemon zest and juice, haloumi and dried oregano. Stir in the chard mixture.

On a large (50 cm x 30 cm/20 inch x 12 inch) baking tray lined with baking paper, place one rectangular sheet of shortcrust pastry, or overlap two square sheets and seal at the centre.

Spoon the ricotta and chard mixture on top.

Top with the sheet of puff pastry, crimp the edges to seal completely and score using long diagonal slashes.

Whisk together the reserved egg and 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush over the pastry and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden and puffed.

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Salmon with Dill Sauce & Spring Spaghetti (Serves 4) Ingredients 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) whole salmon fillet, skin on, pin-boned 1 tablespoon olive oil sea salt 3 zucchini (courgettes), julienned 2 bunches asparagus, julienned 250 g (9 oz) angel hair pasta Dill sauce 3 tablespoons grated parmesan ½ cup (125 ml) vinai-no-regrette (see page 194) handful of dill, finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil Optional ingredients Dill sprigs, and I feel like chablis is fitting.

Method Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and bring a saucepan of heavily salted water to the boil.

Place the salmon, skin-side down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with oil and season with salt. This goes in for a total of 15 minutes (or 20 for more well done). You don’t have time for a ciggie or any other disgusting habit while this cooks because you need to do other stuff … it’s a super-fast dish, this one.

Place your divinely julienned vegetables in the colander you intend to drain the pasta into.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. I always cook angel hair for 1–2 minutes less than it says on the box. It’s thinner than my daughter’s snow fluff hair and I’d probably consider steaming it if I could.

Drain the pasta over the veg. Place this beautiful tendrilly mess on a platter to create a nest for the salmon.

Break the salmon into chunks and nestle around the pasta.

For the sauce, blitz all the ingredients in a small blender. Drizzle generously over the salmon and spaghetti.

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My brother from another mother’s thighs (Serves 4) Ingredients ½ cup (125 ml) sweet chilli sauce 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) chicken thigh fillets, excess fat removed 2 limes, halved 1 bunch basil, leaves picked 1 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked Optional ingredients Beer, wraps, a laughter-filled family reunion.

Method Combine the chilli sauce, soy and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat, then leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat a large chargrill pan over high heat, or the grill plate on a barbecue. Add the chicken and grill for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through with excellent char lines.

During the last 5 minutes or so, add the lime halves, cut-side down, and let them soften and heat through.

Roughly chop the herbs on a bread board.

Arrange the chicken on the herbs and allow to rest briefly, heating and slightly wilting the herbs.

Carve the chicken into fat slices and serve with the charred limes.

Images and text from Every Night of the Week by Lucy Tweed; Photography by Lucy Tweed. Murdoch Books RRP $35.00. eat.live.escape

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The Conservatory Bring freshness and colour into your home with these pretty pieces.

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8 1.Pink Glass Vase $89.99 thegreyworks.com 2. BlueQ Print Oven Mitt $29.90 thedesigngiftshop.com 3. Set of 4 &Klevering Lemon Twig Plates $110 coffeandcloth. co.uk 4. STAHL Arabesque Plate in Seaweed $134 casaecucina.com.au 5.Hunter Matilda Kakadu Plum and Bush Cucumber Candle $45 huntercandles. com.au 6.Osterley Vase Sweetpea and Willow $75 sweetpeaandwillow.com 7. Fenton & Fenton Bone Inlay Hexagon Tray $420 fentonandfenton.com.au 8. Michel Design Works ‘Wild Lemon’ Cotton Tea Towel $16.99 home-landing.co.uk 9.Audenza Pink Martini Glasses $80 audenza.com 10. Orange Blossom Wallpaper coleandson.co.uk

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Escape

Istoria Hotel, Greece pg 61

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Insta-fabulous

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Travel News

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Dream Destination: Istoria, Greece

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Weekend Away: Pumphouse Point

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On the Flower Trail

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Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

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Day Out: Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm

INSTA-FABULOUS We introduce you to some some of our favourite floral creators on Instagram.

@flower_lover_art eat.live.escape

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Emily Avenson - Fleuropean

I

am a farmer-florist, outdoor enthusiast, and plant-dyed silk ribbon maker. You most likely know me as the creative catalyst behind Fleuropean. Born and raised in urban California, I turned to nature as a way of growing new roots after finding myself settled in rural Belgium.

Working the ground and getting my hands dirty, I found a friend in Mother Nature. What started out as casual courtship soon grew into a full-blown love affair, and I found myself sowing and growing a carefully curated color palette of blooms. I am constantly experimenting with new textures and color combinations. Each new season brings fresh adventures, an invitation to dig deeper into the world of gardening, floral art, and photography. It is this combination of creative outlets that keeps me growing both personally and professionally, and I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm for all things floral with you!

Emily Avenson @fleuropean

Emily Avenson @fleuropean

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@katemeets

Natalia - Flower Lover Art

I

started photographing flower still lifes 18 months ago. This is my way to convey beauty and harmony, to create a sense of peace and tranquility around me. I am inspired by the floral still lifes by Dutch masters of the 17th century. I like to combine a wide variety of flowers in one bouquet our local garden flowers, along with varietal flowers brought from other countries, and complemented with simple wildflowers. They are very harmoniously combined together and emphasize the beauty of each other. I love to shoot flowers in a classic style with lots of details that are fun to see.

Natalia @flower_lover_art

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Lucy Hunter – The Flower Hunter

I

have spent a lifetime designing gardens, floral art and most recently discovered a passion for photography. My work seems to be constantly looking at ways in which we can soften and meld the boundaries between the inside and out. Capturing for a moment the fine and transitory shifts in nature, the light of the changing seasons and always, colour, form and composition.

When I am not travelling, I retreat to my own, invariably interwined garden and studio in the mountains in North Wales, UK. Here I design, teach and have a constant ongoing dialogue with the weeds in my garden. My first book, ‘The Flower Hunter’ published by Ryland, Peters and Small and distributed by Hardie Grant in Australia is available from 12th October 2021. @lucytheflowerhunter

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Glamp Camp Ready for your next road trip? Hiring a camper has never been easier thanks to van sharing platform Camplify. Simply jump onto the Camplify website, search your pickup location and then choose from the thousands of vans listed on the platform to find your perfect fit. Don’t worry if you aren’t comfortable with towing a caravan, many van owners are happy to set up and pack up at your holiday destination, plus there are plenty of easy to drive campervans & motorhomes. The best bit? If you have a four legged fried you can take them with you in selected vans. camplify.com @camplify

GREEK WELLNESS Perched on the Caldera cliffs of Oia, Mystique is partnering with OPO wellness and technology studio, to create an immersive meditation programme for its guests to experience, that will have exclusive access to the customized sessions, whilst they relax in the Greek haven, surrounded by the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Kanava Hotels & Resorts founders, Kalia & Antonis Eliopoulos have always endeavoured to ensure that their guests are completely relaxed and immersed in their resorts’ surroundings, which is what OPO’s Founder, Chris Connors has now enabled through the form of meditation.

Mystique is surrounded by an extraordinary natural landscape, creating the perfect location for practicing and cultivating stillness through the artform of meditation. Mystique’s guests may participate in OPO’s ‘Today’ and ‘Learn To Meditate’ sessions, guided by Chris who has an impressive twenty years experience as a meditation teacher, paving the way in the wellness industry. Once guests have booked their stay at Mystique, they receive a unique link to take them to the OPO app, where they may listen to a pre-arrival meditation session, while on their journey to Mystique, to limit the stress of travel. kanavahotels.com

Snap Happy Compact, lightweight and slim in design, the Nikon Z fc makes it easier to capture iconic moments on the go. With Creative Picture Control offering users 20 different pre-sets to be applied to stills and video, the Nikon Z fc is the perfect companion for those looking to step up their photography game and grow their personal style.

Exteriors can be swapped for another premium exterior colour for $149 at a local Nikon store and to celebrate the launch, those who pre-order will receive a free colour change bonus. nikon.com @nikon

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travel news Florentine Classic

We round up the latest travel and hotel news.

Combining classic architecture and contemporary design, Dimora Palanca in Florence has been home to famous artists and travellers since the 1800’s. Following a sensitive, yet comprehensive renovation, this striking Florentine villa has now been transformed into a unique art-inspired hotel.

The concept at Dimora Palanca is to celebrate Florence’s link to the arts in the form of five star hospitality. Throughout the hotel you will find historic frescoes, original stuccoes and a collection of contemporary art by Florentine artist Paolo Dovichi. The interiors are luxurious and perfectly finished with striking examples of modern lighting, sculpture and art.

Dimora Palanca is scheduled to open its doors to guests mid-August 2021. dimorapalanca.com

DEEP DIVE

Dimora Palanca is located just a few minutes from Santa Maria Novella train station and is perfectly situated for those wishing to explore the city on foot. The villa is a tranquil haven in the heart of the city where guests can relax in the beautiful walled garden and sample gourmet cuisine in the rather chic Mimesi restaurant and alfresco bistro. With 18 spacious rooms and suites to choose from, Dimora Palanca is a first class choice for travellers seeking a vibrant blend of history, heritage, art and culture in the centre of Italy’s most famous renaissance city, Florence.

The Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel (on Santa Cruz Island) has joined forces with Scalesia Galapagos Lodge (on Isabela Island) to offer a NEW week-long program in the Galapagos, including inter-island flights, day trips aboard Yacht Sea Lion, “glamping” in luxury tents up in the highlands of Isabela Island, and visits to remote and mysterious places that illustrate the incredible diversity of the archipelago.

Highlights include: touring Quito’s Old City, glamping in safari camp-style tents, snorkeling with sea turtles and other marine wildlife, hiking active volcanoes, visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station and tortoise breeding facility, and exploring various islands by motor yacht. finchbayhotel.com eat.live.escape

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Dream Destination Istoria,Santorini Istoria is located at the sublime junction where the black volcanic sand of Perivolos Beach meets the midnight blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Profoundly influenced by the story of the estate that once lay on the grounds, the spaces of the 12-suite seaside sanctuary are intended to make guests feel as if they are living in an authentic Santorinian mansion. It is the ultimate get away from it all luxury experience. istoriahotel.gr @istoriahotel

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Weekend Away

W

ild, remote and every bit as epic as it looks in pictures, Pumphouse Point on Tasmania’s Lake St Clair is a ‘must-visit’ Apple Isle destination.

Originally a hydroelectricity station built in the 1930s, this hotel conversion has made the most of is dramatic location to create a boutique hotel in the World Heritage listed Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

The hotel is split over two locations, The Pumphoue, perched in the middle of the lake and the Shorehouse, on the slopes of the lake’s shoreline. Rooms in both are beautifully designed and fitted out with a ‘cosy- industrial’ style that wouldn’t be out of place in a city hotel.

Getting away from it all has never been so stylish.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Luxurious room and suites; the original Pumphouse; delicious desserts with local ingredients; the dramatic walk out to the point; cosy spaces with a view; dining at the hotel; delicious breakfasts; relaxing bath tubs, perfect after a day of hiking..

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Images: Stu Gibson (main), Adam Gibson and Rachel Vasicek

The Details Where: Pumphouse Point, Tasmania Who: Couples, friends, singles or older families looking for a true getaway. The hotel does not cater for children under 18 so it won’t suit families with young children.

When: Tasmania is a year round destination, but our pick is Autumn and Winter, for cosy fires, cool temperatures and moody landscapes.

Why: Dramatic scenery, walking and hikes, local produce and the luxurious accommodation.

1 Lake St Clair Rd, Lake St Clair, Tasmania pumphousepoint.com.au @pumphousepoint

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On The Flower Trail WORDS Melinda Healy Blue skies and warmer days are just around the corner, and boy do we all need it. Millions of prismatic blooms awaken after laying dormant for the winter and chirping baby birds begin to make themselves known to us as we all start to venture outside with a renewed pep in our step. With the new season heading our way, we’ve rounded up some of the best flower festivals to take in if you need a seasonal boost.

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Image: Destination NSW

Tulip Time, Bowral Mosey through 75,000 tulips that have been mass planted amongst various beds blossoming with spring colour amidst the cherry and magnolia trees that call Corbett Gardens home. In addition to the spectacular tulip displays, visitors will be entertained with bands, entertainers, choir groups and there are plenty of familyfriendly activities, including 20 market stalls that are packed with a healthy range of handcrafted wares, local produce and refreshments. It’s worth noting that tickets must be pre-purchased as there will be no tickets available at the gate.

When: September 17 to October 4, 2021 Where: Corbett Gardens, Condooley Street, Bowral bgpa.wa.gov.au

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Image: Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, WA

Kings Park Festival, Perth It’s not hard to see why this annual event religiously attracts more than half a million people every year. For the entire month of September, the Western Australia capital is blanketed with wildflowers and an abundance of free events and activities including art exhibits, memorials, and educational displays to help everyone get that extra ‘spring’ in their step. Now in its 56th year, this family-friendly event, pays tribute to the local flora found in WA. Each year the festival highlights a feature garden, with this year’s edition putting emphasis on the Botanic Terraces.

When: September 1-30, 2021 Where: Kings Park and Botanical Gardens, Perth, Western Australia. bgpa.wa.gov.au

Image: Destination NSW

Image: DestinationImage: NSW

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Carnival of Colour, Toowoomba For 72 years this bloomfest has been a mainstay in Queensland’s Darling Downs.

Scheduled to kick off its 2021 season on September 1, this year, like every other, 150,000 seeds, bulbs and seedlings will be in full bloom. The family-friendly 30-day event combines colourful displays - Queens Park has one of the most elaborate and extends 25 hectares - with food events, arts and crafts, and even talking pub tours.

While there is so much to see on ground level, it is definitely worth getting an aerial view by jumping on the Ferris wheel and getting some sky-high floral vibes.

When: September 1-30, 2021 Where: Various displays and activities in Toowoomba across various destinations. tcof.com.au

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Image: Tourism and Events Queensland

Renmark Rose and Garden Festival, South Australia A celebration of the region and the communities that call it home, this annual rose festival has evolved into a major event since it first made its way onto the calendar in 1994. With the rose displays at its core, this 10-day event spans a number of towns across the Riverland and includes several spring-themed events.

The annual Renmark Riverland Rose Festival Floral Display is hosted at the Renmark Institute for the first three days of the event.

Each year, many locals allow visitors to admire their perfectly groomed gardens. These incredible locations are scattered throughout the townships of Renmark, Waikerie, Loxton, Berri and Barmera and are breathtaking to see.

When: October 15-24 Where: Various locations across Renmark and the surrounding townships renmarkroses.com

Leura Gardens Festival, Blue Mountains, NSW Scheduled to be held over two consecutive long weekends, this Blue Mountains affair is nothing short of a floral celebration that attracts garden lovers from near and far. Famous for its magnificent displays of azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods, camellias and other cool climate exotics along with flowering annuals and perennials, there are big gardens and small gardens to explore and each has its own distinctive character.

When: October 2-4/10-12, 2021 Where: For a comprehensive rundown of locations head to leuragardensfestival.com.au

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Floriade Reimagined, Canberra If you’ve not been fortunate enough to experience Australia’s biggest celebration of spring, now is the time. This year, the 34th iteration of Canberra’s floral celebration is set to feature upwards of a million blooms that are sure to delight and provide plenty of reasons to smile. Commonwealth Park is once again the central hub for the festival, but it’s not an exclusive location because the rest of the city is keen on getting in on the act too, which is why ‘Floriade Community’ has returned in 2021.

When: September 11-October 10, 2021 Where: Commonwealth Park, Canberra and throughout the greater city. floriadeaustralia.com

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Further Afield Sakura Cherry Blossom Festivals, Japan Hanami - otherwise known as ‘flower watching’ - is a popular cultural tradition in Japan at the beginning of spring. Cherry blossom festivals (sakura matsuri) are held in parks amid rows upon rows of beautiful cherry blossom trees. Festivals vary by location but all of them usually include entertainments and activities centred around the beauty of these trees filled with the ever so picturesque delicate pink flowers. Some of the most popular festivals across the country include Goryokaku Cherry Blossom Festival (Hakodate City, Hokkaido) and Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival (Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture).

When: Each year from March onward Where: Various cities and prefectures across Japan livejapan.com

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Chelsea Flower Show, United Kingdom Considered the floral equivalent to London Fashion Week, this globally renowned display of horticultural genius welcomes as many as 15,000 visitors every year. Held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this year’s show is honouring nurses and the NHS with a series of show gardens dedicated to the nursing profession. Some of the highlights of this year’s festival include Robert Myers’ colourful show garden The Florence Nightingale Garden – A Celebration of Modern Day Nursing; and enjoy the tranquility of Lilly Gomm’s The Swiss Sanctuary Garden, which will transport you to the Alpine landscape.

When: September 21-26, 2021 Where: Royal Hospital Chelsea, for tickets and information head to rhs.org.uk

Brussels Flower Carpet, Belgium Every two years the Grand Place in Brussels is blanketed with a flower carpet of begonias.

The 77m by 24m carpet is the work of 120 volunteers and consists of about one million begonias. Begonias are said to be ideal for such a display because of their qualities of robustness, resistance to bad weather and strong sunshine, the begonia guarantees the long life and freshness of the carpet. The first floral carpet was laid in the Belgian capital in 1971, and to this day, the event continues to attract plenty of gardening enthusiasts.

When: Every other summer, on the weekend of August 15. The next is scheduled for 2022.

Where: Brussells. For more information. flowercarpet.brussels/en

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WELL

We llbeing , health and sustainability magazine . On sale Septem ber 15.

Image: Alastair Bett

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Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

Lush, fertile soil, a temperate climate and the rugged wildness of New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island of NZ is an oasis of good food, award winning wine, art deco history and unspoilt scenery and beaches.

Considered New Zealand’s food and wine country, it is a must-visit on a trip to the North Island.

The region extends from the Mahia Peninsula to Cape Kidnappers and boasts some great cycling and walking tracks, good beaches and a pleasant climate making it an ideal long weekend destination.

Plan for a few days to really enjoy the region and experience all that the abundance of wineries have to offer.

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What To Do

Wine Tour Take a winery tour of the region and discover what all of the fuss is about, try Te Mata Estate, Black Barn Vineyards, Church Road Winery and The Mission Estate, which is NZ’s oldest winery.

Cycle If you are feeling fit, Hawke’s Bay is part of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail which takes riders to more that 100 cellar doors across four different New Zealand wine regions. The Hawke’s Bay area has over 200 kilometres of cycling trails to explore.

Hike up Te Mata Peak Take a hike up to the Te Mata Peak which sits 400 metres above sea level, and be rewarded with panoramic views of the region. If wheels are more your style you can drive or cycle to the peak.

Enjoy the Coast Stroll along the 3km coastline of Napier on Marine Parade and take in the fresh sea air and crashing waves. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants along the way to enjoy.

Meet the Locals The world’s largest gannet population calls Hawke’s Bay home. Over 20,000 of these beautiful birds nest, dance and swoop right in front or you.

Don’t Miss

Check out the famous art deco architecture in the region, including the Daily Telegraph Building and Municipal Building in Napier and the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings.

Crab Farm Winery is a great spot to enjoy delicious seafood, wine and open fires and live music or try the historic fishing village of Ahuriri for a picturesque spot for lunch.

Where to Stay

Get a restful night’s sleep at the Black Barn Retreats, The Manse, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers or Kiwiesque.

How to Get There

The best way to get to Hawke’s Bay is to drive. The region is about 3 hours from Wellington and just over 5 hours from Auckland - take your time, enjoy the scenery and make a day of it.

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Day Out Daylesford, Victoria. Made famous by the fanmous Picnic at Hanging Rock book and series, the The rosk iteself Lavender Syrup sits between the pictureesque 1 cup water village of Woodend and 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp fresh lavender blossoms (about 3 sprigs) Mount macedon, making it a topBring spotto to incorpotate onsugar a Combine water, sugar, and lavender blossoms in a small saucepan. a boil, stirring until the fully dissolves. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and letday the syrup trip.steep, about 30 minutes.

Pour syrup into a sterilised glass jar through a muslin strainer to remove flowers; allow to cool.

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Use the syrup to make lavender lemonade, add to cocktails or use in cream or frosting to add a delicious lavender flavour and scent.

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LAVANDULA Swiss Italian Lavender Farm, Daylesford

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n the outskirts of Hepburn Springs, in the Daylesford spa region is a sprawling lavender farm that is a little slice of Europe in the Victorian countryside.

Originally built in 1805 by an Italian family that emigrated to Australia, the estate has evolved into a 100 acre working farm that harvests French and English lavender.

There is a cafe and restaurant La Trattoria on site, an artist in residence and friendly farm animals. One of our favourites things to do at Lavendula is to wander the gardens and finish up enjoying scones with lavender jam and cream under the shade of the beautiful trees.

For history buffs there are tours of the 1860s farmhouse throughout the day, which give you a good sense of what it would have been like to live and work on the farm in times gone by.

While the farm is lovely at any time of the year, in order to see the fields of lavender at their best visit during January and February when the flowers will be in full bloom. Note that due to Covid-19 restrictions opening hours and times may vary so check ahead before visiting.

Lavandula Swiss Italian Lavender Farm 350 Hepburn-Newstead Rd, Hepburn, Victoria lavandula.com.au @lavandulafarm

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Jasmina Weeping Rose One of the most beautiful additions to any garden is a weeping rose. Spectacular flourishes of scented roses that trail down in waterfalls make a dramatic centrepiece. Growing these beautiful blooms is fairly straightforward, make sure you have staked the rose well as it will get very top heavy as it begins to grow. A good winter prune is a must and feeding with a rose fertiliser during the growing months is important. Once a weeping rose is established it will provide you with much joy for years to come.

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Image: Jo O’Keefe

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Spring

Lunch Create a delicious spring luncheon at home and enjoy the best the new season has to offer. p104

lifestyle Fashion, beauty, garden, home & wellness inspiration.

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Brooke McAlary HOW TO CARE

Brooke McAlary is the best-selling author of three non-fiction books Destination Simple, SLOW and now CARE. Brooke is also a tree-hugger, a mountain-lover, honorary Canadian (this is not a real thing but don’t tell her that), enthusiastic gardener and the creator of the #1 podcast, The Slow Home Podcast, where she talks to interesting people about what it means to live slow in a fast-paced world. We catch up with her and talk about all things Care.

Tell us a little bit about CARE and your journey.

Back in 2019, I started work on a new book that was going to dig deep into the self-care industry – where it began, how much it’s worth, how self-care is marketed to us now and why that makes so much of it inaccessible to many of us.

But then, at the end of 2019, the Black Summer bushfires happened. Then the floods. Then Covid, and lockdowns and the unfolding global disaster that has reshaped our world. And, like so many people, I cared deeply about all of these things. I spent hours scrolling websites and watching for updates and being informed and trying to make good choices. Until one day in the middle of 2020, I realised that I couldn’t get out of bed. I was utterly exhausted, totally burnt out and frighteningly numb. I felt like I didn’t, and couldn’t, care anymore.

I tried to go deep in to self-care mode, to try and lift myself out of the hole I was in, but I found that so many of the self-care options felt less like healing and more like capitalism. What’s more, they didn’t really align with my worldview, where I believe kindness and connection can be a real force for good.

So I started exploring the middle ground of care – the small acts of care – that not only helped to fill my soul again, but also that need to connect with others and have a positive impact on the world.

I think I eventually discovered that the only way to make a big difference (without burning out) is to start small.

Can you explain the difference between ‘Small Care’ and ‘Big Care’?

I like to believe that care exists on a spectrum.

On one end we have Big Care – those global, collective issues like Covid, climate change, systemic racism and social injustice that are so important and so overwhelming, and on the other end we have Self Care, which I also think is incredibly important, but often inaccessible.

Somewhere in the middle is what I call Small Care. Those tiny acts of care that can be self-focused or other-focused, which make a positive impact. Small kindnesses, moments of connection, time spent in nature, creating things with our hands and sharing them, they’re all powerful and even more importantly, they’re all accessible to everyone, regardless of our circumstances. And while the act itself might be small, the impact can be big and reach much further than we can imagine.

How can we focus on slowing down and taking time when it feels like our modern lives are moving at such a fast pace?

Modern society, particularly in Western cultures, has us conditioned for busyness. We’re told that busy equals productive and productive

equals successful, and above all we want to be seen as successful, so we stay busy. Even in our downtime. So if you find it hard to slow down, please know that you’re not alone.

To change our relationship with time is as much about noticing as it is about hours and minutes.

Noticing where our time is spent (most adults spend more than 7 hours on a screen every day), noticing when we feel happy and centred, noticing the interactions we have every day and how they make us feel. But it’s also about noticing new details in our every day.

In fact, scientists believe that the reason time passes us by more quickly as adults is because we stop doing new things, we stop learning new things and we stop noticing the details around us. As a result, our brains get lazy and stop creating memories of these familiar experiences, which in turn makes us feel like time is simply disappearing. To counteract this, they suggest we embrace new experiences, which kickstarts our brains in to creating memories again and thereby stretching our perception of time.

And it doesn’t need to be anything major either, wearing a new lipstick, listening to new music, walking to the bus stop via a different route, paying attention to the trees you walk past on the way home, these are all powerful enough to effectively bend and stretch time. And even better, they’re things you can do at any time, on any given day. eat.live.escape

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‘Scientists believe that the reason time passes us by more quickly as adults is because we stop doing new things, we stop learning new things and we stop noticing the details around us’.

What are some small ways that we can bring more care into our lives?

Experience awe, look at the stars, put your hand on the chest of a loved one and feel their heartbeat, pick up an apple and consider everything that had to occur in order for you to hold it in your hands right now. The goosebumpy feeling we get when experiencing awe is proven to make us more generous, more patient and to feel as though we have more time.

Spend time with nature, buy a plant for your desk and spend a few moments every day looking at it, visit a park on the weekend and lay on the grass watching ants, go for a barefoot bushwalk or diffuse some cedar or cypress essential oils. Not only are small moments of immersion in nature good for our stress levels and mental health, the physical health benefits are enormous, with measurable reductions in blood pressure, inflammation and cortisol levels.

What’s next on the horizon for you?

The entire process of writing Care has reminded me just how important creativity is for me, and particularly creativity with no particular purpose or outcome attached. So I plan to spend time exploring that and have signed up for a beginner ceramics course with my husband. I’m also writing a lot more poetry, and as spring creeps around the corner, I’ve started to plan out my veggie garden. @brookemcalary

Practice the lost art of idleness, sit in a coffee shop and people-watch instead of scrolling your phone, when making a cup of tea simply stand in the kitchen and listen to the water heating, go for a wander in your lunch break and see what you notice. We’re not particularly good at doing nothing, but the practice of idleness offers us a rare chance to spend time in our inner-world, an opportunity to check in and pay close attention to how we’re really feeling.

Brooke’s latest book, CARE, is available now at all leading book stores Visit allenandunwin.com for more information.

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SHOP a curated range of beautiful travel, food, home and lifestyle products. We know you will find something that you love!

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read

editor’s pick

Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a distribution warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood. Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young-but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?

In this illuminating book, award-winning writer Charlotte Wood shares the insights she has gained over a career paying close attention to her own mind, to the world around her and to the way she and others work.

Drawing on research and decades of observant conversation and immersive reading, Charlotte shares what artists can teach the rest of us about inspiration and hard work, how to pursue truth in art and life, and to find courage during the difficult times: facing down what we fear and keeping going when things seem hopeless.

This lyrical and devastating new novel from Emily Bitto, Stella Prize-winning author of The Strays, offers us startling and profound visions of the world and our place in it. Wild Abandon is a headlong tumble through the falling world of end-days capitalism, and a hyperreal snapshot of our own strange times.

A moving and heartwarming story about taking risks and finding a new lease on life, by the bestselling author of The Banksia Bay Beach Shack. Following the stories of Anne and Grace, they must move beyond trauma to heal the wounds of the past and secure the town’s future.

WHAT TO READ NOW Take a break with a selection of new books to read this month.

Edited by Mia Cowling

Three housemates. One dead, one missing and one accused of murder. Dubbed the Housemate Homicide, it’s a mystery that has baffled Australians for almost a decade. Melbourne-based journalist Olive Groves worked on the story as a junior reporter and became obsessed by the case.

Now, nine years later, the missing housemate turns up dead on a remote property. Olive is once again assigned to the story, this time reluctantly paired with precocious millennial podcaster Cooper Ng.

A tribute to an extraordinary landscape now under severe threat. The exquisite photographs reveal the mountain ash forests of central Victoria to be one of Australia’s great natural treasures.

The Great Forest is a tribute to extraordinary landscapes now under severe threat.

non-fiction

Prepare to be dazzled. Or, at the very least, befuddled. Wild, hilarious and thought-provoking, Puff Piece is a probing look into Big Tobacco and the vaping industry, and how words can be literally a matter of life and death.

The heartwarming new medical rural romance from the bestselling author of The Bush Telegraph. This is a moving and uplifting Australian drama about what it really means to be a community, and learning that best friends can also make the best family.

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fashion

F e m in in e BE AUT Y

We are longtime fans of S/W/F for their signature prints, their feminine silhouettes and effortless pieces.

Their pretty maxi skirts and dresses are our spring and summer go-tos. swfboutique.com @swfboutique

S/W/F Boutique

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well heeled

Blurring day to night, Orchard Moon is a London based brand delivering beautiful sustainable luxury lounge and nightwear. Featuring hand painted prints, inspired by the natural world, Orchard Moon’s pieces look as at home in the bedroom as they do on the street. orchardmoon.com @orchardmoon

Victoria Beckham’s latest collaboration with Reebok features cropped bombers, stylish active wear and trainers that will take you from street to gym. reebok.com

S H O E -TA S T I C

Put a little spring in your step with these embellished beauties ASIC’S Sportstyle Japan Trainers.

day to night

Alias Mae SS21 is a bold collection of chunky sandals and statement heels in all of this seasons IT colours. aliasmae.com.au

WHAT’S NEW LONDON STYLE COS will debut its Autumn Winter 2021 collection at London Fashion Week in September 2021, with a hybrid fashion show encompassing a physical catwalk, merged with artistic portraiture and moving image, digitally livestreamed at cos.com.

NEW IDENTITY IDENTITY is Camilla and Marc’s most sustainably made collection to date, featuring responsibly sourced details and materials.

Key garments across the collection are comprised of organic cotton (which requires less water and none of the pesticides found in conventional cotton), Nycose (sustainable viscose nylon), hemp and organic cotton blends, natural corozo buttons, and recycled draw chords and toggles across the SPORT collection. camillaandmarc.com eat.live.escape

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1.Camilla and Marc Kiri Cropped Top Powder Blue camillaandmarc.com $350 2. Camilla and Marc Kiri Midi Skirt Powder Blue $450 camillandmarc. com 3. Sisley Ecological Compound Limited Edition 2021 $315 sisley-paris.com.au 4. Bohemian Traders Winter Genoa Dress in Magenta $229.95 bohemiantraders.com 5. Bendon Lace Bra bendonlingerie.com.au 6. Brigid McLaughlin Rapture Dress $449 brigidmclaughlin.com.au 7.

ASOS Modest Satin Pleated Trapeze Maxi Dress asos.com 8. Wolf + Moon Iris Necklace ofcabbagaesandco.co.uk 9. Maison de Sabre Mini Tote Coral Blue $449 maisondesabre.com 10.

MESHKI Esme Bodysuit $219 meshki.com 11. IRO Keita Dress at Order of Style $749 orderofstyle.com 12. Sophie Allport Bees Hoop Earrings $71 sophieallport.com 13. Aesop Karst Eau de Parfum $220 aesop.com

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STYLE

Inject a little colour and style into your life this spring with these fabulous and functional pieces.

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1.Foreo Luna 3 for Men $299 foreo.com 2.

Melbourne Gin $79 australiandistillingco.com.au 3.

Davines Pasta & Love Shaving Care Set davines. com 4. Blue Yeti Microphone $198 logitech.com 5.

Logitech Ultimate eEars Hyperboom $599.95 logitech.com 6. Levi’s So High Jeans $149.95 levis. com 7. Battery Point Distillery First Release $325 batterypointdistillery.com 8. Volley Black Socks volley. com.au $29.95 9. What’s Eating the Universe by Paul Davies $34.95 penguin.com 10. Bendon Boxer Shorts $34.95 bendonlingerie.com.au 11. Aussie Man The Weekender Set $49 theaussieman.com 12.

Volley Deuce High $99.99 volley.com,au 13. The Climber Wood Split Spirit 2021 Swiss Army Knife $199 victorinox.com,au

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Plant Now Late spring is the perfect time to plant dahlia tubers. Flowers will begin to bloom about 8 weeks after they are planted. Try planting dahlias in big groups in garden beds to make an impression or in large pots on a balcony or verandah.

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Discover the Minenssey Body Collection – an enriched botanical body wash and lotion formulated from the earth with an invigorating blend of essential oils to deliver smooth and supple skin. True to the Minenssey philosophy, the Body Collection shares an intimate connection with nature, with an aroma inspired by sweet, spring Australian gardens, rich with notes of Jasmine and Honeysuckle. minenssey.com @minensseyskincare

HOW TO USE Vitamin C

DYNAMIC DUO

With so many serum options on the skincare market it can be overwhelming choosing what to use. Vitamin C helps to brighten dark spots, protect againts UV damage and acts as an antioxidant, a perfect addition to any skin care regime.

Biomimic Retinol + Aloe, 20ml, $69 This Vitamin A anti-wrinkle night cream helps to fight the signs of aging and regulate cell renewal It contains skin firming properties and promotes cellular turnover to build a healthy barrier against free radicals biomimicskincare.com

DO use a Vitamic C serum in the morning. Vitamin C protects the skin from environmental agressors as you go about your day.

DO layer Vitamin C under a sunscreen,

they work together to protect the skin against UV damage.

DON’T mix Vitamin C and Retinol

(Vitamin A) as they will cancel each other out. Use C in the morning and retinol at night.

A+ PLUS Aesthetics Rx Fruit Enzyme Mask is a powerful combination of proteolytic fruit enzymes and botanical extracts that gently erase dull, dead skin cells, minimising fine lines and removing other impurities. The enzymes are the unsung heroes of exfoliation, working to degrade the protein bonds of intercellular cohesion, instantly unveiling renewed, softer, and brighter skin, without stressing the surface. aestheticsrx.com.au @aestheticsrxskincare

DO keep your C serum in a dark, cool

place so it doesn’t oxidise as Vitamin C is sensitive to light and air.

ALWAYS check the % of active product, if you have a sensitive or dry skin aim for about 5%, oilier skins can use a higher concentration of Vitamin C.

Copper Peptide, also known as Copper Tripeptide-1, is a powerful, regenerative and protective ingredient. Copper Peptide naturally occurs in the human body however, it begins to decrease at the age of 20. This powerhouse ingredient is found in the Dr Roebuck’s NINGALOO Firming Serum, suitable for all skin types, especially thin, wrinkled & dehydrated. NINGALOO is also supported by two different types of Hyaluronic Acid, this serum will attract and retain moisture deep into the skin to plump from within. drroebucks.com.au @drroebucks

*Editor’s Pick* Tailor Skincare’s Gold Dust Powder fades dark spots (hyperpigmentation), boosts collagen production, and increases cellular energy. RRP $49 tailorskin.com @tailorskincare

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Palmer’s Moisturizing Body Oil is a dose of delicious smelling moisture in a bottle. It helps to keep your body beautiful hydrated without leaving an oily residue. palmersaustralia.com

beauty Designed by doctors to perfectly complement your Secret Skincare regime, this multi-tasking skin saviour pulls essential moisture deep into the lower layers of the skin, while simultaneously improving barrier function to support the skin’s healing process. $130 thesecretskincare.com.au It can be a chore to put on hand sanitiser, the stuff can leave your hands sticky or greasy. The usual everyday hand sanitiser just isn’t doing it for us anymore. Why smell like cheap gin when you can be sanitised, hydrated, moisturised AND smell incredible with Shmoist – the hand sanitiser with a scent for every mood! shmoist.com @shmoistme

RosehipPLUS® Hydrating Day Cream is a 100% pure and natural Australian Certified Organic facial moisturiser. It has been formulated with RosehipPLUS® 100% pure Certified Organic cold pressed Rosehip Oil as well as a blend of chamomile, avocado and rose geranium, which supports and encourages a healthier looking skin. rosehipplus.com.au

Renew your beauty regime with this range of products designed to refresh and hydrate.

the beauty edit BLUE LAGOON The revolutionary WATEGOS Facial Oil 30ml, is the first in the world to utilise Blue Rainforest Oil. This hero ingredient is ethically and sustainably sourced from the Rosewood Tree, native to NSW and QLD rainforests. Blue Rainforest Oil is known to help calm inflammation, decongest breakouts, restore hydration levels and boost natural collagen production. Dr Roebuck’s will be the very first skincare brand to utilise this antioxidant-rich, plant-based oil in a skincare formula. drroebucks. com RRP $79

Australian Made

Image: Amil SeilSepour

We are feel good Kakadu Plum Body Milk is a luxe face and body milk moisturiser, made with native Australian Kakadu Plum extract and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3). Hailing from the driest of Australian climates, this wonder fruit packs a huge antioxidant hit. Enriched with added skin-loving goodies including Shea Butter, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, it is suitable for most skin types. Smother it on and give your skin the TLC it deserves! $27.95 wearefeelgoodinc.com.au @wearefeelgood.inc eat.live.escape

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HOW TO Create A Statement Eye

By Madeleine O’Connor @madeleinegracemua

Do you want to master the art of applying eyeshadow but don’t know where to start? Well, here are 8 simple steps to blend and apply your eyeshadow like a pro!

Step one: Prime your eyes You first need to prime before reaching for your eyeshadow. Priming the eyes is a must to ensure your eyeshadow goes on smoothly and wears evenly throughout the day. *ele tip: If you haven’t found the ultimate eye primer yet, I recommend trying either the SMASHBOX 24hr eye primer or the NARS smudge-proof eyeshadow base. The perfect choices for all-day longevity.

Step two: Crease Colour Now it’s time to lay down the structure of your eyeshadow. You want to choose a mid-tone matte brown shade for your crease colour.

This colour is applied with a fluffy blending brush through the crease of the eye.

Start the application on the highest point of the outside corner of the crease and work the colour back and forth in ‘windshield wiper’ motions.

Once you’re happy with the depth of colour and most of the pigment is off your brush, it’s time to blend.

Blend out the edges with little circular motions to diffuse the colour and ensure that there are no harsh edges. When blending is complete you should have a wash of colour in the crease that is visible when you look straight ahead in the mirror.

Step three: Create depth Choose a colour that is darker than the first colour you used (the darker the shade, the more intense your eye look will turn out).

Apply your chosen colour with a small blending brush using back and forth motions.

Start just with running the majority of the

deeper colour along the outer third of the lash line.

Once you’re happy with the depth, use the same brush (with no extra product added) in small circular motions to blend the edges out and connect this darker colour into our crease shade.

You want the two shades to meet but still want this darker shadow to sit lower than the crease colour.

Too much brightness all over the brow bone can have the opposite effect.

*ele tip: Always remember: ‘When in doubt, use circular motions to blend it out!’

*ele tip: Using a bright colour on the lower waterline is a fantastic way to add colour to an eye look in a more subtle way and really makes the colours of your eyes stand out!

Step four: Neutral lid colour I recommend reaching into your shimmer shadows. This helps create light and add intrigue to the look. Use a flat packer brush to get the most pigment on your eyeshadow.

Starting in the centre of the eye, use a ‘press and wiggle’ motion to apply the colour from the inner corner of the eye all the way to meet the darker colour that we applied earlier.

You want to overlap these shades but ensure you don’t completely cover up the darker colour as this is what creates the light to dark fade. *ele tip: Intensify the sparkle in your shimmer eyeshadows: Before applying the pigment to your eye spray two-three sprays of setting spray (my go-to is MAC fix +) on to the brush loaded with product and this will transform your powder eyeshadow into this stunning foiled cream finish in the eye.

Step five: inner corner and brow bone To open up the eyes; take a light eyeshadow and dab this into the inner corner of the eye. This ensures that even while you are rocking a statement eye you are still looking well rested!

Take the same light colour you used on your inner corner and run it under the brow. *ele tip: The tip of your pinkie finger is the ultimate tool to apply your inner corner highlight. When it comes to the placement on the brow bone, you want to ensure this highlight is softly placed right under the arch of the brow. This will help create lift to the eye.

Step six: Waterline To add a pop of colour to your statement eye, run your favourite bright eye liner along your lower waterline (I opted for a vivid turquoise for my look.) Make sure you choose an eyeliner designed to be applied on the waterline for maximum colour payoff.

Step Seven: Bottom lash line Bring the look all together using the same mid-tone brown shade you used in step one.

Use a small, bullet brush to smoke out and diffuse the colour all the way from inner corner to outer corner with a back and forth motion. *ele tip: If you are unsure how far to take the colour down on the lower lash-line, use your lashes as a guide of where to end the colour. It may look intense to begin with but when you finish off with mascara it creates this beautifully soft ‘peek-a-boo’ of colour from underneath your lashes.

Step Eight: Eyeliner and Mascara.

Finish off the top of the eyes by running a brown eyeliner along the top lash line.

Eyeliner helps create depth right by the lashes to give them a fuller, thicker effect.

I recommend a brown liner as this adds richness to the lash line without being stark like a black liner.

Finally, coat your top and bottom lashes with mascara and you have finished creating the ultimate statement eye with a pop of colour! *ele tip: If using an eyeliner makes you nervous, then use a soft kohl pencil along your lash line to create a rough line, then use an angled liner brush to soften the edges. It creates a perfect smokey, even line every time! eat.live.escape

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1 ‘This cleanser feels like a cosy warm hug for your face’

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Best Eye Cream Ellus & Krue Cellular Eye Repair

Best Serum Peggy Sue Blue Tansy Facial Oil When this landed on our desks we were immediately taken by its beautiful blue hue. However looks aside, this face oil has continued to impress us after multiple months of trialling it.

Our skin has never felt healthier or stronger. It is a true hero product that also assists with redness, dryness and acne. peggusueco.com.au @peggysue.co

Oh the smell! If you are a honey lover you won’t be able to get enough of the warming honey cleanser from iSClinical. But delicious honey scent aside, this cleanser feels like a cosy warm hug for your face. The thick texture melts beautifully into skin and delivers a luxurious cleansing experience. isclinical.com.au @isclinical

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Best Cleanser iSClinical Warming Honey Cleanser

Best of BEAUTY 20 21

‘We can’t live without this sunscreen in our daily routine’

We have tested, trialled and reviewed hundreds of products and have selected 10 of the best of an impressive bunch.

We have always been a little skeptical about how effective eye creams are at minimising and reducing fine lines around the eye area. After trying many products on the market we landed on Ellus & Krue’s Cellular Eye Repair - trust us it really, really works. ellusandkrue.com.au @ellusandkrue

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If you want to add shine and gloss to your locks, evo’s Love Touch Shine Spray is the product for you. It is lightweight and doesn’t leave a residue but adds the most brilliant shine to locks.

We love to tie our hair into a low ponytail or bun and add a spray of this product for a beautiful glossy and healthy finish. evohair.com @evohair

Best Hair Finishing Product evo Love Touch Shine Spray

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Best Sunscreen Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating facial Sunscreen SPF 50+

It is a big call but we can’t live without this sunscreen. It is our go-to daily sunscreen that keeps skin protected and hydrated while feeling more like a luxe skin treatment rather than a traditional sunscreen. Honestly stock up on this, you won’t regret it. ultraviolette.com.au @ultraviolette

‘Our skin has never felt healthier or stronger’

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Best Serum Aspect Extreme B 17 This Vitamin B serum is a little boost of hydration in a bottle. Once you start using it you won’t stop, it adds the most beautiful hydrating glow to skin that lasts all day. Plus its sweet orange citrus scent is the best morning boost to get your day started. aspectskincare.com @aspectskin

‘It adds the most beautiful hydrating glow to skin that lasts all day’

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Best Moisturiser Sisley Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream

A luxuriously scented product that hydrates, plumps and softens, Sisley’s Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream is one of the best moisturising creams we have used to date. This cream is not cheap, it is definitely a splurge purchase, however in our opinion it is worth every penny. Not only does your skin feel super hydrated and plump, after using it at night we wake up with a dewy fresh glow. sisley-paris.com

Best Retinol Cream Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum

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‘This is the creme de la creme of face moisturisers’

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This high dose retinoid serum is one of our 3 must-use products (alongside sunscreen and Vitamin B). Don’t be put off by the high active ingredient dosage, you can work your way up to using it regulary. An added plus is the beautiful blue bottle and styling, but good looks aside, this product really works. sundayriley.com @sundayriley

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7 Best Face Mist Santa Maria Novella Rose Water From the world’s oldest pharmacy located in Florence, Italy this stunning rose water is like a million roses being sprayed on your face at once. It is hydrating, refreshing and smells just like a summer rose garden. libertineperfumerie.com.au

‘This stunning rose water is like a million roses being sprayed on your face at once.’

Best Shampoo and Conditioner Duo Eleven Hydrate My Hair For pure weightless hydration to keep your locks beautifully moisturised you can’t go past Eleven’s hydration duo. These should be your daily go-to hair care products. elevenaustralia.com @elevenaustralia

WHAT WE TRIED

Dermaplaning Epi-dermal levelling or just a fancy name for face shaving? We test this controversial treatment and find out if it is worth the hype.

What is it?

Dermaplaning is facial treatment that uses a surgical blade to take off the upper levels of the skin. It promises to reveal refreshed, glowy and renewed skin. It can assist with managing congested and dehydrated skin, milia and remove the fine vellus hair that aren’t able to be removed by laser.

The Treatment

After a brief chat to the consultant about my skin concerns and goals my skin was cleansed. The consultant then used the fine surgical blade and worked methodically across my whole face. It didnt hurt at all, it just feels like a fine scraping. After she had finished a crystal fibre face mask was applied to help with hydration and healing.

The Aftermath

Following the treatment my skin was quite pink and shiny. I didn’t want to put on any makeup so I headed home. The following day my face was beautifully clear and glowing. My cheekbones and face contours were more defined as there was no fine film of hair to blur the edges. It felt almost strangely smooth, and my make up went on perfectly - a little bit like it was airbrushed. After the first week the hair started to grow back but it didn’t grow back any thicker or coarser.

Would I try it again?

I would definitely try this again to achieve a perfectly clear canvas for my makeup prior to a big event.

Pain level: 1/10 Cost: $$ (We paid $169 for this

treatment)

Effectiveness: B+ skinboutique.com.au @theskinboutique

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For your daily dose of food, travel and lifestyle news and recipes come and say hi to us at eatliveescape.com.

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NEW!

Home , interiors & garden magazine . Out Now!

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home beauty

down to earth Stay grounded with these earthy shades of terracotta and sky blue.

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Eden Found Rainbow throw at eatliveescape.com

*ele Style TIP* Mix shades of terracotta with azure blue, soft gold and clean white for an earthy feel.

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Take inspiration from traditional Spanish and Tuscan homes.

1.At Last Height Adjustable Pillow $149 etiennehome.com.au 2. Blue Organic Cotton Towel Set $30 thefinecottoncompany.com 3. Leather Strapping Bed Head $1850 fentonandfenton.com.au 4. Adairs Sisterhood Canvas Print adairs.com.au 5. Adairs Tierra Rug $299.95 adairs.com.au 7. Grown Alchemist Hand Wash $38 grownalchemist.com 8.

Garden Trading Linear Tumblers in Pink Gin $34 gardentrading.co.uk. 9. Kendal Herringbone Soft Merino Wool Blankets thefinecottoncompany.com 10.

Linen House Vases linenhouse.com 11. Oz Design Nomad Vase $199.95 ozdesignfurniture.com.au eat.live.escape

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Spring

Lunch At Home

Create a beautiful spring lunch at home with our styling tips and enjoy everything the new season has to offer.

WORDS Claudia Siron

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I

n winter, we unapologetically embrace the season by wrapping ourselves up in a cocoon, we are content homebodies relishing good books, new steamy Netflix shows, and endlessly baking banana bread.

As the frost begins to melt, we emerge into social butterflies. The warmer months begin to embody a more vibrant spirit, a drastic contrast to winter, where friends and family gather for potluck lunches, fabulous brunch events and outdoor BBQ dinners.

Although seasonal cocktails and gastronomic experiences at local bars and restaurants will be priorities in our social calendar, this form of social activity will soon begin to surpass our budgets, and relatively quickly, too. To change things up this spring, we will be celebrating the new season by hosting a deluxe outdoor luncheon at home.

We’ve rounded up our favourite seasonal shades and tones for effortless colour coordination, ideas for floral arrangements, as well as sweet and savoury dish ideas to keep in mind when hosting an outdoor lunch this season.

Colour Palette Going with a seasonal palette is both safe and aesthetically pleasing for any home-style event.

When playing with your personal outdoor colour scheme and chosen floral arrangements, it’s a nice idea to use one or two bold, brilliant tones and a few neutral, earthy shades to balance the look. A trending colour last spring that we believe most definitely still has a place this year is terracotta. This hue is a beautiful choice for vases, dinnerware and other focal points on the table.

Other colours we see trending this season for lunch-style events include raspberry sorbet, green ash and buttercream. The electric pinkred of raspberry is a great standout choice, a solid addition of colour when considering centrepieces, flowers and recipes; ultimately tying in a gentle yet brilliant contrast that’s stylish and easy on the eye.

It is also a great colour to use in strong, darker home settings with rich urban backdrops as the splashes of pink will tone down the city-loft vibe and instead inspire a more lively, radiant atmosphere.

For more subtle and organic touches, we recommend using green ash and buttercream.

To us, the former resembles a deeper peppermint with pastel tones; the latter embodies minimalism with a dash of nostalgia, it’s like the colour of your cool aunt’s white chocolate-caramel mousse or her modern, simplistic bedroom curtains These two tones are perfect for elements that make up the majority of the display such as tablecloths and napery, to even out the bolder colours that you’ll use for your centerpieces, arrangements, dinderware and other embellishments.

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Get the Recipe p33

Flowers When it comes to selecting flowers, it’s always a nice idea to choose what’s actually in season.

Melbourne-based florist Cherrie Miriklis from Flowers Vasette revealed one of the floral trends they see happening this season is “natural and organic forms created using locally grown seasonal produce”. When we asked what flowers they enjoy working with in spring, they said their “favourites include lilacs, Lily of the Valley and sweet peas, all for their remarkable fragrance.” They added: “We also love perfumed cherry blossoms which create the most wonderful impact and epitomise the change of season.”

Flowers that are sweet, feminine and whimsical like lilacs and cherry blossoms pair beautifully with equally feminine desserts like coconut slice, lemon tart and bread and butter pudding. As these flowers aren’t exactly subtle, they could easily act as a centrepiece for your table, sitting proudly in a fish bowl vase.

Pale in colour, the Lily of the Valley flowering plant is a delicate addition to any event, and has a stunning artistic makeup when seated next to an array of different sized wax candles boasting a similar colour palette.

Homemade nourishment that aesthetically suits this table style is pea and ham soup, roast chicken with salad, and a blackberry and ginger pie.

Ultimately, when planning your arrangements, aim to select flowers that are well-suited to your event’s ‘mood board’ to create a seemingly effortless and attractive setting. An idea for those who aren’t quite sure when it comes to matching florals with

their table’s theme and menu is chatting with a local florist for pro tips when purchasing arrangements.

Food When preparing your menu, aim to match your plates with your personal home style and event setting. An example for homes sporting an urban tone is creating a vast selection of seasonal hors d’oeuvres (think: mixed tomato canapes, grilled mushroom and halloumi skewers, and olive tapenade). With this style of menu partnered with a deeper seasonal palette for your table and decor, you’ll find yourself hosting a more contemporary styled luncheon this season. Think: Carrie’s rehearsal dinner in the Sex and the City movie (but with an earlyafternoon feel) infused with the vogueish vibes of Meryl Streep’s townhouse in The Devil Wears Prada, sophistication meets brilliance.

For beach-front homespaces, consider taking on Coastal European influence when choosing recipes; ultimately hero-ing seafood produce. With a sea-side menu, nude colour scheme, linen napery and buttercream stoneware, your guests are in for a treat this spring. Perhaps whip up your personal, reimagined version of Grace and Frankie’s beachfront home for your overall event style – a very affluent yet relaxed setting with elegant touches; organic refreshments en masse.

And for country homes with farms and lush green back gardens: rustic dishes like sweet and savoury pies using spring-themed ingredients, as well as meat-centric plates like roast chicken and a pear, walnut and blue cheese salad will all pair exceptionally well with

your home’s look and feel. Plate everything up on some terracotta earthenware crockery and you’ll have mastered the countryside lunch this season.

Cheers to good food, great wine, and most importantly, beautiful company!

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At home lunches shouldn’t be expensive, if you don’t have a budget for flowers try picking fresh bunches of herbs from the garden to adorn vases or grab some beautful Australian wattle and small eucalypt branches to create a free bouquet.

Another great idea is to use your small pot plants of succulents on the table.

Don’t have a table cloth? Use a crisp white sheet or go au naturel and let the food and the flowers do the talking.

To share the costs ask guests to bring a dessert or wine.

Save cost (and the environment!) by serving a vegetarian or vegan menu- try a delicious tart with a simple side salad and fresh bread.

Get more recipes and ideas at eatliveescape.com

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home

‘Flowers that are sweet, feminine and whimsical like lilacs and cherry blossoms pair beautifully with equally feminine desserts like coconut slice, lemon tart and bread and butter pudding’

Ella James Tuscany Crochet Lace Vinyl Tablecloth white ellajames.co.uk

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Linen Napkins in Snow $10 thesustainablelifeco.com.au

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CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: 1.Meshki Midi Dress $109 meshki.com.au 2. Sophie Allport Pheasant Teapot $87 sophieallport.com 3. Oslo Wine Glasses Set of 4 $72 vavoom.com.au 4.Palm Beach Collective Rooftop Garden Scented Candle $39.95 palmbeach.com.au 5. Statement Glass Yellow Vase $200 audenza.com 6. Balance Dessert Plate achcollection.com 7. Higher Living Peppermint and Licorice Tea $3.70 higherlivingherbs.com 8. S/W/F Assymetrical Maxi Dress in Coastal Oat $349 swfboutique.com 9. Andina Copper Jug and Tumbler Set $370 oka.com 10.Embossed Grey Metal Candlesticks $17.95 melodymaison.co.uk 11. Malachite Handle Cutlery 20 piece set $139 myhousedecor.com.au 12. Small Fyli Vase $57 oka.com 13.Yellow Weaver Tea Towel $53 postcardshome.co.ul

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Island Keeper, Richard Roe, will teach you how to shuck fresh oysters on arrival at the island.

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Take it Outside Prefer to lunch in the great outdoors?

Spring is the perfect time to picnic. Choose a sunny day, grab some friends, choose a pretty spot and create a rustic picnic set up that celebrates the new season.

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All Things BRIGHT Say hello to the new season with these beautiful bright pieces to bring light and sunshine in to your home.

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5 7 1. ELK Jori Dress $229 elkthelabel.com 2. Sage and Clare Helene Knit Cushion antipodream. co.uk 3. Carla Dinnage Rainflower Jug and Bowl $160 carladinnage.com 4. Marimekko Pieni Unikko Pot Holder marimekko.com 5. Priscilla Cushion $180 sweetpeaandwillow.com 6. H.O.C.K Badu Batik Saphire Outdoor Hocker hock-dich-hin.de 7. Pillow Talk Medina Yellow Plate $14.95 pillowtalk.com.au 8. Urban Eden & Co urbanedenco.com $109

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Cherry Blossom (Sakura) The cherry blossom is Japan’s national flower and is prized for the beautiful display it puts on at the start of each spring season.

In bloom for only a few short weeks people will travel far and wide to see these trees in bloom. Tokyo, Washington D.C, Vancouver, Edinburgh and Bonn in Germany are all great places to see these pretty blossoms. In Australia try the cool climate areas of the south, including the Blue Mountains, Adelaide, Mount Macedon and The Dandenongs.

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About Verity and Hannah Verity Tuck has over 12 years of client and project management experience, running large teams of up to 50 people in the digital advertising space. Now with six years under her belt of running her own business, she’s obsessed with innovating new ways of operating the business that are insanely useful and effective. Verity’s passion for a good old fashioned process is obvious when you walk into the doors at LVLY – it’s like a well oiled machine. No matter which hat she’s wearing, her goal is simple, to empower her team to help drive real, tangible change in the business through operational outcomes.

Hannah​Spilva is an expert in brand building and digital marketing and has developed award winning work for global brands including Adidas, Uniqlo and Kmart. Having spent over 10+ years in the advertising industry, H ​ annah​is highly creative and renowned for bringing immense energy and exceptional problem solving skills to everything she does. Originally from the UK, ​ Hannah​arrived in Australia in 2009 to lead the digital offering for global agency network, McCann Erickson.

Since co-founding LVLY in 2014 she has been recognised as ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ by B&T Women In Media Awards 2019, ‘Melbourne Young Entrepreneur’ 2019 Finalist and most recently a ‘2020 Telstra Business Women’s Awards’ winner. H ​ annah​ is a passionate advocate of women in business and is dedicated to building businesses with a strong social and environmental conscience.

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spotlight

LVLY (love -ly )

Spreading joy and connectivity through flowers and gifts, LVLY is the brainchild of Verity Tuck and Hannah.

Spilva. We catch up with them and find out more about their business journey.

Tell us about LVLY and the philosophy behind the brand.

and because our whole team is so aligned on that we won’t stop until we make it happen.

LVLY (pronounced lovely) is a collaboration between my business partner, Verity, and me.

The idea for LVLY started with a purpose rather than a product. We wanted to build a business that would help keep loved ones connected and spread a bit of joy in the world.

We were living away from home, missing friends and family and saw a gap in the market to send affordable flowers and gifts that weren’t the traditional red roses and fluffy teddy bears.

Our mission is to become Australia’s most loved and most used flower delivery service.

We have a strong commitment to supporting local flower growers and other small businesses in Australia, as well as building our business in a way that treads lightly on the environment.

Our philosophy is about being ‘lovely to people, lovely to Australia and lovely to the planet’.

What is different about LVLY compared to other flower delivery businesses?

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

After ten years in advertising, Verity and I were both ready for a fresh challenge and excited by the idea of building a brand from the ground up. We saw a gap in the market for a gift delivery service that was affordable enough to fulfil those ‘just because’ gifting moments and ‘on trend’ enough to really stand out from the big incumbents.

One of the things that excited us most was the idea of building a truly customercentric business, a company that had customer happiness baked into its DNA. We set out with a simple purpose to ‘Make people’s day’

It’s a combination of so many things. We’ve created a playful and cheeky brand that is as much part of the experience as the flowers themselves. We offer personalisation and customisation, which makes for a more thoughtful and unique gift - you can add a name, nickname or message to our flower jar labels and our ‘build your own’ functionality on the website lets you create your own gift box of goodies.

We’ve invested a lot into our packaging, in fact our packaging has become quite iconic - all flowers come in re-usable LVLY branded glass jars and arrive in a custom-made ‘someone thinks you’re awesome’ gift box. Our unboxing experience is completely unique in the category.

We’ve always maintained the best delivery proposition in the market, we deliver sameday, 7 days a week and our order cut off isn’t until 5pm. We have the best delivery proposition of any online retailer in Australia.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who might be interested in starting their own businesses?

Start with a clear purpose. Make sure you’re solving a problem you’re passionate about.

Surround yourself with smart, honest and positive people. Have a healthy dose of competitiveness because if you’re not determined to win, you won’t. And remember

that there’s no such thing as an overnight success story, building a successful business will be way harder than you thought but infinitely more rewarding than you ever dreamed possible.

Whatever you’re doing before, the transition from being an employee to running your own business is a steep learning curve. It doesn’t matter what experience or skills you have – nothing prepares you for the relentlessness of it. In other careers, you can work hard and go home, but as a founder you simply can’t unplug. It’s a new level of connectedness that you need to learn to manage.

Lastly, what is next on the horizon for LVLY? At LVLY we’re constantly innovating to stay relevant to our customers and to be the best in our category. You can expect to see more products, more collaborations and more sameday locations across Australia and beyond.

We’ve recently launched two new collaborations - one with Hardie Grant Publishing that brings books, games and puzzles into the range. Another one with Happy Collective which sells a range of vibrators - sexual wellness and self care is a hot topic and very relevant to our audience. We’re not scared of trying new things and taking risks.

There’s also a bunch of stuff that won’t change, like our obsession with making people happy and our dedication to being there when our customers need us. @hello_lvly lvly.com.au

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Elegance, wealth, prosperity - beautiful peonies have a reputation that precedes them including being difficult to grow. But once you master a few basic tricks, they may just be the most rewarding flowers to bloom in your garden.

Did you know?

Spring was originally called Lent in Old English. In the 14th century, it was called ‘springing time’, a reference to plants ‘springing’ from the ground. In the 15th century this was shortened to ‘springtime,’ and then further shortened in the 16th century to just ‘spring.’

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The Spring Garden There is so much joy in the spring garden, from beautiful bulbs to flowering trees and of course the famed cherry blossom.

BY MIA COWLING

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Did you know?

Tulips were once the most expensive flower in the world. In the 1600s they were more valuable than most people’s homes and cost far more than the average annual salary.

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Image: Jill Wellington

garden

There is nothing better than seeing the first of the spring blooms and bulbs start to peek their heads above the soil, heralding the start of the beautiful new season. Here are some of our spring garden favourites.

Tulips Tulips have a reputation for being

hard to grow, however they are not difficult if you follow a few simple steps. Only plant your tulip bulbs in autumn once the soil has cooled to under 14C degrees. Plant the bulbs twice as deep as they are high and place them about 4-6 inches apart.

Cherry Blossom Is there anything more magical in spring than a beautiful cherry blossom tree in bloom? These beauties only flower for a few weeks a year but don’t let that put you off, in summer they will reward you with lush green leaves and in autumn they will put on a display of beautiful orange and red hues. Bare-rooted cherries planted in winter will be more cost effective, try a weeping variety to make a spectacular impression.

Carnations

If you were around in the late 1980s and 90s you might remember carnations adorning every bridal bouquet and home flower vase arrangement. After years of obscurity their popularity is back on the rise and it is easy to see why, they make a beautiful cut flower and are wonderful in a cottage garden or flower bed. They like full sun and regular feeding during the growing period.

Iris Iris bulbs should be planted

when the bulbs are dormant in winter in well-draining soil not too far from the soil’s surface (they don’t like to be deep planted). Water in well and choose a sunny growing spot and wait to enjoy the beautiful dramatic blooms come springtime.

Freesia Once planted, freesias

require minimal maintenance, they create a beautiful garden scent so try planting them in groups to enjoy the benefits.

They are a great cut flower and will last in a vase for 2-3 weeks. Plant in autumn in a full sun position.

Peonies The King of the garden, tempermental peonies are worth making the effort for. Peonies need a very cold climate and hate to be moved once they are planted. Add a healthy does of lime to the soil and remember to be patient, peonies may take a few seasons to bloom.

Bring the outdoors in with these pretty products.

S P R I N G P lanting Guide Subtropical HERBS plant basil, chives, dill, mint, oregano, sage and thyme.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES plant beans, sweet potato, carrot, melons, squash, eggplant, onions and mustard.

FLOWERS plant carnation, aster, petunia, marigold, sunflower, kangaroo paw, salvia, verbena and zinnia.

Tropical HERBS plant basil, chilli, ginger, mint, oregano and parsley.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES plant beetroot, corn, cucumber, rockmelon, pumpkin, spinach, tomato and leek.

FLOWERS plant begonia, dahlia, impatiens, marigold, snapdragon, gerbera, cosmos and zinnia.

Temperate HERBS plant basil, chives, dill, oregano, sage and thyme.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES plant beans, eggplant, potato, pumpkin, rhubarb, radish, parsnip, endive, okra and capsicum.

FLOWERS plant gerbera, dahlias, sunflower, snapdragon, carnation, chrysanthemum, balsam, torenia and aster.

Cool & Southern Tablelands HERBS plant coriander, dill, mint, sage, thyme and basil.

VEGETABLES plant beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, leek, lettuce, sweet corn, zucchini and tomato (after the final frost).

FLOWERS plant lobelia, foxglove, dahlia, salvia, hollyhock, impatiens and marigold.

H.O.C.K Outdoor Flower Stool $150 hock-dich--hin.de

Marimekko Hietta Uniko Socks $35 marimekko.com

Marimekko Jylha Mansikkavuoret Dress $595 marimekko.com eat.live.escape

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From The Kitchen Garden

lemon

From cooking to cleaning juicy fresh lemons are so versatile in the kitchen and one of our favourite fruit trees to grow. While lemons traditionally grow better in warmer climates there are some varieties such as Meyer and Lisbon that are frost and drought tolerant and will grow in harsher climates. The Eureka variety is best grown in milder environments. Here are a few of our tips and tricks for growing the perfect lemon tree at home.

Location, Location, Location

Lemon trees need a sheltered, sunny location away from harsh winds. They thrive in full sun, making a sunny courtyard an ideal spot for them. If you live in a cold climate and have a brick wall in your garden, place the lemon tree close to it to protect it from weather and take advantage of the radiating heat.

Timing is Everything

If you are planting a new lemon tree wait until spring once the last frost or harsh weather has passed. We like to plant our lemon trees in large pots which can be moved around the garden depending on the time of year (try putting them on wheels to make it easier to move) and in very harsh winter spells we will move them into a glass enclosed patio area to protect from the worst of the frost and take advantage of the captured sunlight.

Water and Nutrition

Lemon trees don’t like to be over watered, so minimise watering to every 6 to 8 days in summer. As the trees will be producing an abundance of fruit they will need feeding with a good citrus food at least twice a year, preferably at the end of summer and again after winter.

Pruning and Harvest

Lemon trees need to be pruned to keep them in peak fruit-bearing condition. Remove weak or damaged branches after harvest to keep the core strong and prune any low hanging branches that restrict air flow to the tree. Lemons are ready to be picked once they have turned yellow and are about 3 inches in size, the longer you leave them on the tree the sweeter they will become. To pick, twist, tilt and snap the fruit – ripe lemons will come away from the stem easily.

If you are in a colder climate the trees will usually produce blossom in spring and take up to nine months for the fruit to fully mature to be ready to pick, in warmer areas the trees can flower and fruit all year around.

To pee or not to pee?

Peeing on a lemon tree is a common practice and also a hotly debated argument, and while there is no doubt that the nitrogen in urine can benefit the soil, we still struggle with thinking our lovely fresh lemons have been fueled by pee! This is probably an individual choice. Note that dog pee can burn the plant so we would suggest not letting your furry friends pee on your lemon tree with any regularity.

Companion Planting

Marigold makes a great companion plant next to a lemon tree as it helps to keep away pesky insects that are attracted to the fruit both above ground and hidden in the soil. We also love to plant other sun-loving herbs such as rosemary and thyme that can be used in cooking alongside lemon.

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eat

Italian Olive Oil and Lemon Cake Ingredients Cake Batter 4 eggs 1 cup of sugar 2 lemons, juiced 1 tbsp of lemon zest 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of plain flour 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder Lemon Icing 1 and 1/2 cups of icing sugar Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp of lemon zest 1 tbsp of softened butter Fresh flowering rosemary sprigs, to garnish

Method 1.

Pre-heat oven to 180C (350F). Line a round cake tin with baking paper.

2.

In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar until the mix is pale and creamy. Add olive oil, juice of two lemons, lemon zest and vanilla essence and mix until well combined.

3.

Sift in flour, baking powder and salt and stir through all ingredients. The cake batter will seem runnier than a normal cake mix but this is exactly how it should be.

4.

Pour mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in oven for about 45-55 minutes. Test with a skewer to ensure cake is cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

5.

To make cake icing, mix icing sugar, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until a think icing forms.

6.

Remove cake from pan on to a plate and ice. To decorate add whole flowering rosemary sprigs (optional) and grated lemon zest. Enjoy!

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Beautiful Gardens of the World

Monet’s Garden It isn’t just Claude Monet’s art that has left an impact on the world, in a little corner of France lies the garden that Monet created and that inspired much of his artwork.

BY Mia Cowling

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isiting the beautiful gardens and homestead of artist Claude Monet in Giverny is a once-in-alifetime must do. The spectacular gardens, set across two acres in the French countryside, are where the Master of Impressionism painted some of his most famous works. There is a stunning array of flowers, walkways, meandering waterways and the famous bridge and lily ponds that appears in a number of his paintings.

The village of Giverny is also a garden lovers paradise, everywhere you look there are plants, flowers and vines adorning the buildings and homes and of course there is the main attraction, Monet’s Garden. There are references to the famous artist throughout the town and while it can at times feel touristy (over half a million tourists visit each year!) it has still managed to maintain its quaint village feel.

Where

The gardens are located in Giverny about 45 minutes from Paris by train. The train arrives at the town of Vernon and from there a little train at the front of the station will transport you via the scenic route.

When to Visit

We visited on a weekday during the summer, when the sun was bright, the dahlias were in full bloom and the garden was awash with colour and greenery. The gardens are open from May through until November

Why Visit?

If you are a lover of art, flowers or gardens there are a million reasons to visit, be inspired by the vistas that inspired Monet's paintings. You can also tour his home and the stunning little village of Giverny is reason alone to visit.

Cost Entry is 13 Euros (adults and seniors). There is a gift shop on site with some pretty homewares and souvenirs of your stay, or head into the village for antique and specialty stores. giverny.org

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the final bite

WHERE IN THE W ORLD IS ELLA?

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Food Editor Ella, travels the world in search of delicious food experiences.

t has been a rocky year, 2021, we have been in and out of lockdowns like a jack in a box so finding those tiny gaps of time when we can get away for a brief long weekend or day trip has been a little glimmer of normal life.

A check in at Jackalope Hotel, the art infused hotel that made a statement when it arrived on the Peninsula’s doorstep, was where I would rest my head that night and from the minute I drove through the entrance I knew I had arrived somewhere special.

On one of these rare weekends I decided to head south and combine a little wine tasting with a trip to the seaside (is there a better combination?!) far from the city and the 24/7 bad news cycle to find a peaceful spot away from the crowds.

A giant black Jackalope, the mythical part rabbit, part antelope creature which the hotel is named after, greets you and sets the tone for the stay. Stunning, unexpected and a little bit fantastical.

The Mornington Peninsula had my name all over it, close enough to Melbourne that any last minute trips could be cancelled without too much fuss, but far enough away to feel like I was at least getting into the countryside.

Portesa and Sorrento have long been considered the playground for Eastern suburb Melbourne-ites looking for a weekend seaside getaway and while both are beautiful and definitely worth a visit, I was looking for some spots a little more rustic and a little less Too-rak dah-ling.

First stop, the pretty village of Flinders and a wander around the shops, the delicious produce stores and a stroll along the beach front, excellent coffee and croissant in hand.

Next it was time to get serious about wine and the Red Hill region is the perfect spot to do it. There is no shortage of great vineyards to visit, I managed to get to two, Mont Rouge and Main Ridge, both of which made me fall back in love with a winery visit.

Dinner at in-house Doot Doot Doot was a culinary experience. Barramundi Cooked in Paperbark, Lentils and Lemon Aspen and the Pumpkin Pie, Macadamia, Jimmy Rum and Raisins were two of the many highlights.

After a relaxing sleep and a swim ‘with a vineyard view’ the next morning, I headed to Merrick’s General Wine Store for Buttermilk Hot Cakes with Berry Compote and Whipped Almond Butter with Poached Egg and Berkshire Bacon (who said double breakfast wasn’t a thing?).

I drove home the long way via Sorrento, with a trip on the ferry to Queenscliff. I headed back to the city and back to my desk ready to settle in to a few more endless weeks of tap tap tapping away on my laptop dreaming of my next foodie adventure.

Bon Appetit!

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